Power of the Primera
by Necriz
Summary: Ichigo becomes the Primera Espada rivaling Aizen himself in strength but who will he fight for when the crucial time comes. Ichigo from a different background which will come clear throughout the story. AU
1. Vasto Lorde

**I've wanted to write a story about Ichigo being an Espada for a while now so I thought I may as well do it and see how it turns out. This might seem similar to other stories but I will put my own take on it and hopefully it isn't too similar to other stories. The pairing will either be Ichigo/Harribel, Ichigo/Nel or both and there might be a surprise one later on in the story. **

"**Speech"**

'**Thoughts'**

**This chapter takes place before the time of where the anime/manga begins, I'm going to have Ichigo come from a different background which you'll find out later in the story and Ichigo has been a hollow for a long time.**

The power could be felt all around Hueco Mundo as every hollow no matter what class became aware that someone had just became a powerful Vasto Lorde the strongest hollow type in Hueco Mundo.

"Eventually, after all this time I have become this powerful." Ichigo couldn't help but let out a laugh as he examined his new look.(1) His white body was covered in red lines going from his feet all the way up his body. He had two horns that stuck out both sides of his head and pointed down to the direction he was looking. He also noticed that he had claw like hands that seemed incredibly sharp and his feet also had the similar claws.

He also noticed a Zanpakutō lying next to him which he picked up and examined. The sword was a daitō with a black blade that seemed to reflect off the moon. The cross guard was black circle that also seemed to attract the bright moon to it and a small chain hung off the end of the handle.(2) 'wonder where this came from' Ichigo thought as he admired the sword.

He examined his surroundings deciding what he should do now he had reached the most advanced form a hollow could go. The desert sand of Hueco Mundo stretched as far as the eye could see and the moon illuminated everything in sight, now he had become the most advanced type of hollow he could take the time to appreciate the sight rather than keep watching his back.

'Now I'm this strong I can pay that damn Shinigami a visit,' Ichigo thought to himself as he turned his attention towards the Menos forest where a shinigami had taken refuge and had managed to somehow survive for a long time. Ichigo remembered the first time he had encountered him when Ichigo had just become an Adjuchas and he barely survived the fight and ended up having to retreat. He wanted to get rid of him since Ichigo thought that Shinigami didn't belong here in Hueco Mundo just so they can hunt his own kind.

After a few minutes of traveling Ichigo eventually came to a stop and sticking his claw like finger out towards the sand a huge black ball of energy began to build up and as it reached it a suitable size for Ichigo powered his black cero down towards the sand. "Huh wasn't expecting it to be that strong, guess I've got to work on my new strength," Ichigo said to himself as he admired the huge hole that had been blown into the roof of the Menos forest.

Jumping down into hole he couldn't help but laugh as he saw hollows of all class running in the opposite direction to get away from him. 'Feels nice being this strong' Ichigo thought as he tried to sense where the Shinigami was hiding. 'Great, he's on the other side of the forest.'

It didn't take as long as Ichigo thought it would for him to reach the cave where the Shinigami was hiding but as he reached it he noticed that he was actually waiting for him outside the entrance. He wore a standard Shinigami uniform in ragged condition and without any footwear, with a fur coat draped over him. The coat consisted of several Hollow masks adorned on it which angered Ichigo even more that he had taken trophies of the Hollows he had killed.

"So it was you I sensed earlier reaching Vasto Lorde status, you back to finish our fight. If so then I should give you my name. Ashido Kanō, do you have a name Vasto Lorde?" Ashido said as he faced the demon looking Vasto Lorde.

"My name is Kurosaki Ichigo the hollow that will kill you. After all you shinigami don't belong here in Hueco Mundo hunting my own kind." Ichigo replied back as he looked over the man standing in front of him. "But enough talk it's time you died."

"Tch, don't think to highly of yourself hollow." Ashido answered back as he drew his Zanpakutō just in time to block the sword of Ichigo before it could reach his face. Ashido's eyes widened as he was forced back by the power of Ichigo, 'so this is the power of a Vasto Lorde'.

Ashido used Shunpo to get behind Ichigo and he struck down towards his shoulder only for it to bounce off. 'Impossible he surely can't be this tough.'

"Pathetic Shinigami, you can't even cut me," Ichigo said as he grabbed Ashido's sword and flung him over his shoulder only for Ashido to land back on his feet

Ashido charged back towards Ichigo as he put all his effort into trying to break down Ichigo's defences but he was easily able to stop Ashido's Zanpakutō. Breaking apart Ashido was panting heavily and had numerous cuts on his chest and arms from Ichigo's own sword while Ichigo looked like he hadn't even moved from his same spot and showed no sign of even being in a fight.

"You're pretty tough hollow I'll give you that." Ashido said knowing he was fighting a losing battle. 'Looks like I'll have to release my shikai but even then I don't think I stand a chance against this monster.'

"Unveil, Sairento bureizu (Silent Blaze)"(3) Ichigo covered his eyes as a bright light overtook Ashido's sword. As Ichigo opened his eyes he was quite impressed at Ashido's new weapon. It resembled a transparent, heavy war hammer with an elegantly carved handle and the end of the hammer seemed to have fire inside of it.

'I'll try and end this in one attack since I can't take much more if this.' Ashido thought to himself as he started to put as much of his Rieryoku into his final attack. Ashido swung his war hammer towards Ichigo and a huge fireball shot out of the end towards him and exploded when it hit Ichigo.

The huge explosion could be seen throughout the Menos forest as smoke engulfed Ichigo. 'Surely that must of killed him' as he panted heavily from releasing so much spiritual power. Ashido examined the smoke trying to see Ichigo and as it slowly started to clear Ichigo was nowhere to be seen.

'Guess he wasn't as tough as I thought he was, it must have destroyed his body and I can't feel his Reiatsu anymore, but something doesn't feel right." Before Ashido had a chance to move horrible pain shot through his body and as he looked down he noticed the white hand through his chest.

"Pretty pathetic shinigami if that was your strongest attack, thought you were going to give me a challenge at least." Ichigo's voice came from behind Ashido as he removed his hand from his chest and dropped Ashido's body to the floor.

The only mark Ichigo had from the attack was a small burn mark on his chest which would regenerate easily. He had decided to take the attack front on just to test how strong his Hierro was and was pleased at how little damage he took.

"So long Shinigami" was the last thing Ashido heard as he saw Ichigo disappear into the distance as life slowly faded from him and his eyes closed.

-OO-

A lot of years had passed by since Ichigo had become a Vasto Lorde and he had become one of the most feared hollows in Hueco Mundo that even the self-proclaimed King of Hueco Mundo Baraggan didn't bother him and he had also taken in an Adjuchas-class hollow named Zemi during this time.

He enjoyed the company of the small female hollow. She looked like a wolf with all black fur and yellow and black eyes and she moved around on all fours. Ichigo would let her fight to gain strength and if she was struggling he would jump in and help her and sometimes let her devour the hollows he killed if he didn't need it and it made Ichigo happy having someone to spend time with. He wasn't even sure why he took her in, he just remembered feeling something inside him telling him to protect her.

**Flashback **

Ichigo was awoken as he slept in his usual cave by numerous Reiatsu levels outside that seemed to be slowly coming his way. 'Seems like a few Adjuchas-class, not sure why they are heading this way though, may as well see what they are up to' Ichigo thought to himself as he made his way to the entrance of the cave and masked his Reiatsu

-OO-

"So, little girl Adjuchas not so tough now huh" the leader of the group said as they surrounded the wolf like Adjuchas as she backed up against the cliff face.

Zemi knew it was pointless to fight back or even try and run since she was pretty weak compared to the four Adjuchas that stood in front of her since it hadn't been that long since she had evolved from a Gillian-class.

Zemi knew it was tough for female Adjuchas-class hollows to survive on their own but she was still disappointed that she had only lasted a week as an Adjuchas and she didn't want to die.

"P…Please don't kill me, I'll do anything" Zemi begged hoping they would let her go but she knew she was wasting her time begging to a hollow after all they were all monsters nobody would help her now.

The leader of the group let out a loud laugh as he stepped towards Zemi. She closed her eyes knowing that her life was coming to an end. She felt the Reiatsu of strong hollow in front of her and she struggled to breathe just from the Reiatsu alone.

She stood there for a few minutes unable to move due to the heavy Reiatsu but it felt like an eternity waiting for her life to end but the killing blow never came. She slowly opened her eyes not sure what she was expecting to see in front of her but what she did see amazed her as she saw the source of the heavy Reiatsu and what it had done.

-OO-

Ichigo stood atop the cliff overlooking the scene. Four Adjuchas had another Adjuchas backed up against the wall of the cliff. Normally Ichigo wouldn't have done anything to help but he felt something inside of him telling him to move and help the wolf-like Adjuchas. 'May as well go and help then, it's been a while since I've killed anything.'

Ichigo jumped of the cliff behind the Adjuchas and walked towards them and before they the three hollows in the back could even realize someone was behind them a hole was punched through their chest seemingly at the same time by Ichigo.

The leader realized something was wrong and turned only to come face to face with Ichigo who looked a menacing sight with blood dripping from his hand. Ichigo decided to raise his Reiatsu a little just to show the Adjuchas how strong he was.

The Reiatsu forced the hollow to its knees in front of Ichigo who only smiled and seemed to disappear and reappear behind the hollow as his body was sliced in half by Ichigo's Zanpakutō

Ichigo stood in front of the wolf-like Adjuchas as she slowly opened her eyes and stared in wonder at the Vasto Lorde in front of her.

"Are you going to kill me?" Zemi finally managed to get out as the Vasto Lorde in front of her lowered his Reiatsu so she was comfortable.

"If I was going to kill you why would I have saved you in the first place" Ichigo replied letting out a small laugh. "You should eat by the way, it'll help you get stronger" Ichigo added pointing over his shoulder.

"Don't you need to eat, it was you that killed them after all and why are you even helping me" Zemi replied trying to figure out why this powerful Vasto Lorde was wasting his time on a weak Adjuchas like her.

"Honestly I'm not sure, something was just telling me to so I did that's all. Do you have a name by the way little Adjuchas?" Ichigo answered back truthfully. He knew what she must have been thinking since why would someone of his power help someone like her, after all it's not like hollows to help one another unless it's to take down a stronger enemy.

"Zemi Vecrima" Zemi answered still unsure of the Vasto Lorde in front of her but as long as he was going to kill her she was fine with him. She also noticed something else about the Reiatsu from him. It felt like it was surrounding her but it made her feel warm and safe.

"Kurosaki Ichigo but just call me Ichigo. You can come with if you like and I can help you get stronger. After all it's hard for a female Adjuchas to survive on her own." He still wasn't sure why he was asking her to come with her but he just had an inside feeling to protect her for some reason.

"S…sure I'll come" Zemi stuttered back surprised at the offer that had just been made but she was delighted being taken in by one of the most powerful hollows in Hueco Mundo.

"Good, now you should eat those hollows I just killed before we head back to our cave."

**End Flashback**

Zemi was awoken from her sleep feeling a heavy Reiatsu press down on her pushing her against the floor but it didn't last long as the familiar and safe Reiatsu of Ichigo pushed it back.

"Get up Zem, there's a Vasto Lorde fighting nearby" Ichigo's nickname for Zemi broke her out of her sleepiness as she quickly joined him at the entrance to their cave.

"Why would a Vasto Lorde come anywhere near here and I thought you didn't mind over hollows being nearby as long as they don't come here Ichigo." Zemi asked Ichigo who stood with at the entrance to their home. She could tell he was on edge even though he was probably the strongest hollow in Hueco Mundo at this point.

"I normally don't but something doesn't feel right, I had this same feeling when I first sensed you being attacked." Ichigo answered turning his head to the direction the Reiatsu was coming from.

"Oh, we should check it out then" Zemi asked looking up at Ichigo.

"Let's go then Zem" Ichigo replied as he grabbed her paw and started making his way to where the other Vasto Lorde was fighting with Sonído. 'It feels like two Vasto Lordes fighting but the Reiatsu of one feels more like an Adjuchas-class. Guess I'll have to wait and see when I get there.' Ichigo thought to himself as he made his way to the fight.

-OO-

Tier Harribel was struggling against the Adjuchas-class hollow since his Reiatsu seemed to be that of a Vasto Lorde. Her three comrades had already been defeated after they came back to help her after she originally told them to run.

"Your sacrifices… will not be in vain" Harribel said as she rose to her feet and faced the hammerhead hollow coming towards her.

"What can you do?" The hollow replied back

The familiar sound of Sonído filled the air as she reappeared behind hammerhead and swung her weapon towards him hoping to catch him off guard. "What!" A large shock-wave was created as her weapon was blocked by Hammerhead's arm and large cut appeared.

"With this I'll win" Harribel then charged towards Hammerhead putting everything she had into one final attack as she jumped and brought her weapon down onto the hollow.

The ground below them smashed and a large crater formed as dust and sand covered the area around the fighters. As it cleared Harribel realized she hadn't done enough as her weapon was now stuck in the shoulder of her enemy who just smiled at her. "Don't underestimate me; your sword cannot penetrate my Hierro!" Hammerhead shouted at Harribel as he picked her up by her weapon.

Harribel's eyes widened as she realized she had failed in her attack and she was cut down her front by her enemy who then smacked her away. She slowly dragged herself up to her knees and turned to face the hollow in front of her. 'I guess this it, if only I was stronger' Harribel thought angry at herself for being so weak.

-OO-

Ichigo stood on a nearby tree branch watching over the fight that was happening in the distance, "It seems she wants to protect those three Adjuchas that are behind her" Ichigo said as Zemi sat next to him.

Zemi was amazed that there was a female Vasto Lorde since she knew that females were often easy prey for other hollows. "We should help her it looks like she's gonna die." Zemi replied back hoping Ichigo was going to help.

The hammerhead hollow was stood over Harribel with some sort of blue weapon as Ichigo decided to finally make his move. The sound of Sonído ripped through the air as Ichigo appeared in between Harribel and the other hollow as he blocked the weapon with just his bare hand.

Both Harribel's and the other hollows eyes widened as the new comer was able to block the weapon with his bare hand.

With a swing of his Zanpakutō Ichigo easily sliced through the other hollows Hierro that Harribel failed to cut moments before and he turned around to face Harribel as the hollow behind him split into two halves down the middle showering Ichigo and Harribel in blood.

"W…who are you?" Harribel spoke first amazed that there was another Vasto Lorde nearby since she hadn't felt any reiatsu nearby that was strong enough to be one. However she was also apprehensive, it is Hueco Mundo after all why would someone want to help her.

"The name is Ichigo, Kurosaki Ichigo and yours?" Ichigo replied taking in the sight of the humanoid shark-like Vasto Lorde in front of him.

"Tier Harribel, I appreciate the help." Harribel answered.

Harribel eventually tried to get to her feet but her legs gave way under her and she fell forward expecting to land face first on the ground but instead she felt warm arms wrap around her to catch her. The first thing Harribel thought was how he could be so warm, he is a hollow after all but her thoughts were interrupted by Ichigo's voice.

"You should head back to your hideout; it seems you need some rest. I'll take your three friends up and let them rest up there." Ichigo said bringing Harribel out of her day dream.

"S…sure thank you" Harribel replied. She wasn't sure why she was so trusting of this powerful hollow that had just appeared before her eyes but she felt safe when she fell into his arms and his Reiatsu seemed more comforting then a normal hollows.

10 minutes later and Harribel was sitting next to her three comrades, she was glad they were safe and that Ichigo didn't seem to have anything other motives for helping her. Her fears were put to rest even more when he introduced her to Zemi Vecrima and she found out he took her in and protected her.

"You should get some rest Harribel, you were in a tough fight, and I can watch the entrance until you are awake again. You should also get some rest Zem" Ichigo said as he sat near the entrance to the home if you could call it that.

Normally Harribel would have told him to leave but for some reason she felt comfortable being in Ichigo's presence and before she knew it she was asleep.

A few hours had passed since Harribel had fallen asleep and Ichigo was pleased that Harribel took him up on his advice of getting some sleep. He knew she needed to rest after she got cut badly in her fight and he was pleased that she trusted him.

He turned his attention to her three companions who she had told him about. Sung-sun took the form of a snake, Mila-rose took the form of a Lion and Apache looked like a deer. All three were in pretty bad condition and they would be out for a while which would give him time to think about what the incoming captain level Shinigami could want.

-OO-

An explosion rang through the cave where Harribel had been resting and she was instantly awoken. She immediately feared the worst and thought that Ichigo had tricked her however that feeling was soon appeased as she noticed that Zemi was sitting near the entrance to the cave looking out along with Sung-sun, Mila-rose and Apache.

"What's going on?" Harribel asked as she used Sonído to appear next to the four females.

"Harribel-sama!" the three Adjuchas shouted turning their heads towards their leader.

All four were startled at the sudden appearance of Harribel since Ichigo had told them not to wake her up since she need to rest. "Ichigo's been fighting a shinigami outside and he told us to stay here, it looks like they are just talking now though" Zemi answered in a shaky voice hoping Ichigo wasn't going to get hurt.

"Stay here I'll go and see what's going on" Harribel replied and disappeared from the cave using Sonído.

"Now she's here and you've proven your strength you can tell her what you're planning and then we'll decide what to do." Ichigo directed towards one of the shinigami as Harribel appeared next to Ichigo.

Harribel took note of the appearance of the two fighters, Ichigo had a few cuts on his chest and a big cut up his back and his arm was heavily burned while the Shinigami's white haori had been cut up and was now on the floor covered in blood and a deep cut ran through his shoulder and his arm was covered in blood presumably from that cut. She also noticed his hand was burned the same as Ichigo's which looked like it was probably from a cero.

"Allow me to reintroduce myself for our new friend. My name is Aizen Sōsuke and my associate here is called Ichimaru Gin." Aizen said nodding towards Harribel.

"Tier Harribel" Harribel answered back still unsure what to make of the situation.

"I have already discussed my plans with Ichigo who seemed to approve of them but he told me to talk to you first. I am planning to build an army of Arrancar to fight against Soul Society and to overthrow the Spirit King so we can give hollows a fair world to live and not be hunted down by Shinigami." Aizen began, repeating what he had told Ichigo before they began fighting.

Ichigo only narrowed his eyes at this, he knew Aizen didn't care about hollows but he would deal with him when the time came. It was the next part of Aizen's plan that intrigued him the most part; it meant gaining more power which Ichigo always wanted.

Aizen pulled a small object out of his pocket and held it up so Harribel could see what it was. "This is the Hōgyoku, it is not at its full power at the minute which is why we need to return to Soul Society for the next few weeks while my plan falls into motion but it still has that ability to turn you into Arrancar which will grant you even more power then you already have. You two will join what is known as the Espada, the ten strongest Arrancar in my army. I already have a few members and you two will be joining them. Your friends can also become Arrancar and join you in Los Noches." Aizen continued nodding his head towards the four Adjuchas that now stood behind Ichigo and Harribel.

Harribel was intrigued by this she had rumours of Arrancar being built up somewhere but it never bothered her till now and she wanted more power to protect Sung-sun, Mila-rose and Apache and this shinigami was offering it to her. However she was still unsure and was waiting for Ichigo to answer first.

"Well I'm in I like the sound of gaining even more power and as long as Zemi is allowed to stay with me. What about you Harribel?" Ichigo said breaking the silence and turning his head towards Harribel.

"I agree as well, it seems like a good offer." Harribel answered. She was glad she was going to become more powerful so she could protect her three followers. She was also glad that Ichigo would be going as well since she felt that she could trust him.

"Very good then if you would like to follow us to Los Noches and once we are there you can become Arrancar." Aizen said turning around and started to head towards the huge structure that had seemingly appeared out of thin air in the distance as Ichigo and Harribel followed.

**Any reviews and feedback that people can give will be extremely helpful and any ideas that people want to give me of what they want to see happen in the story will always be appreciated. Next chapter will be Ichigo becoming an Arrancar and talking more with Harribel and also meeting Nel. I also plan on building on the relationship between Ichigo and Zemi but I think it will be more of a brother/sister relationship rather than romantic unless I change my mind at some point.**

Similar to what Ichigo looks like when he fights Ulquiorra.

It's his Bankai blade with a different Guard - you will see more of Ichigo's past in future chapters and see his background and also learn more about why he has a Zanpakutō in the first place.

I took this from some website that creates random Zanpakutō so I apologize if it was in another story.


	2. Start of Something Good

**Thanks for the reviews and I want to encourage people more people to review and give me advice on the story and my own writing. I also plan on Ichigo having two more Fracción alongside Zemi and at the moment I'm thinking Yin and Yang would be the best option but I'm still unsure so any ideas are welcome.**

Ichigo stood in front of the mirror in his new bedroom as he took in his new appearance since he had become an Arrancar just a few hours before hand. He had pale skin and his eyes consisted of black pupils, yellow irises and white sclera. He still had his long flowing orange hair that stopped just past his shoulders and stopped just before it reached his eyes.

The remains of his hollow mask covered the top left hand side of face from his hairline to underneath his eye and stopped in the middle of his forehead on line with his nose.

He had also been shown a room full of white clothes that made up the Arrancar uniform which he had to take his pick from.

His wore a pair of black boots, a white hakama, a black sash, a white sleeveless jacket that tucked into his hakama and it could be zipped up from its middle to the top so it was covering his hollow hole on his chest. The jacket also had a hood and a large collar that covered his neck when his jacket was zipped fully. His Zanpakutō hung from the left hand side of his waist in a black sheath.

'Well it looks a lot better than I thought it was going to look' Ichigo thought to himself as he left his private room and entered the main room of his palace. Ichigo still couldn't quite believe that Aizen had given each member of the Espada a palace of their own as he admired the size of the room.

It was a large square room that had many doors leading off to private bedrooms which were obviously used for any Fracción that Ichigo might recruit. The only objects present in the room itself were numerous chairs which surrounded a large table which Ichigo could think of no reason to need.

The main thing that caught Ichigo's eye was the large balcony at the end room that over looked the golden sands and clear blue sky of Las Noches. Ichigo admired the view as he stood on the balcony and he began to think of something to do.

'Maybe I should try and meet the other members of the Espada that are here. It'll give me a chance to fully form an opinion on them atleast.' He had already been introduced to one Espada by Aizen called Ulquiorra Cifer who seemed to be Aizen's loyal and obedient lapdog if first impressions were anything to go by.

However his thoughts quickly drifted towards Harribel. He hadn't seen her since Aizen took him into a separate room to become an Arrancar and he was wondering how she was doing. 'Perhaps I'll pay her a visit if I can find out where her palace is.'

"What ya up to Ichigo-sama?" came a high pitched voice from behind him breaking him from his thoughts and he turned his head to face Zemi who had joined him on the balcony.

'She looks quite attractive as an Arrancar' Ichigo thought to himself as he was able to get a good look at Zemi for the first real time since they both became Arrancar.

She reached up to about around where Ichigo's hollow hole was on his chest in terms of height and had pale skin with dark brown eyes and wavy black hair that she let flow freely till it came to a stop halfway down her back.

Her mask fragment covered the top half of her forehead and part of her hair and it had two grooves going down the middle of it.

She wore black boots similar to Ichigo's and a pair of white pants with a dark brown sash which her Zanpakutō was attached to on her left hand side. Ichigo noticed that her Zanpakutō was similar to his but a bit shorter in length and its handle had a tuft if black fur coming out the end of it. Her attire was finished off with the same jacket Ichigo had but hers had long sleeves and she had it zipped down so you could see the top of her hollow hole on her chest.

"I thought I told you that you didn't have to call me Ichigo-sama." Ichigo said looking at Zemi out of the corner of his eyes and he noticed the smirk that crept upon her face.

"My apologies Ichigo-sama, it won't happen again Ichigo-sama," Zemi replied letting out a loud laugh at Ichigo's expression as he glared at her. "I think I'll call you that more often if you make expressions like that and I am your Fracción after all." Zemi added still laughing at Ichigo.

Ichigo rubbed his temple seemingly trying to massage away the incoming headache as he continued to glare at her, "perhaps I should make you serve as Ichimaru Gin's Fracción when he returns from Soul Society if you like weird facial expressions Zemi." Ichigo added hoping she would cease her laughing.

It did the trick as Zemi immediately stood up straight as if called to attention. She thought there was something off about Gin as she remembered his creepy smile and weird eyes.

She turned to face Ichigo and noticed he had a serious expression on his face. "Wait you're not seriously thinking about sending me to that creepy guy are ya Ichi." Zemi inquired trying to sound and look as cute as possible.

Ichigo let out a sigh as he heard Zemi use her nickname she had given him. No matter how many times he told her to not use it she just ignored him. "You know Zem if anyone else called me that I would have thrown them over the balcony."

Ichigo's expression might have looked serious but on the inside he didn't really mind the nickname, he wouldn't tell anyone that though. He liked having Zemi around to talk to since he remembered being rather lonely when he first became a Vasto Lorde and taking in Zemi gave him another reason to fight and get stronger.

Zemi let out a small giggle, they often joked around like this since she had been saved by him and she knew that even though he looked scary and serious on the outside he was a good person to talk to.

"Ya still haven't answered my original question Ichi." Zemi said eventually remembering why she had begun talking to him in the first place.

Ichigo thought for a minute trying to remember what the question was but after all her giggling he couldn't remember. "And what question was that" he replied.

"I asked what you were doing just staring out into Las Noches" Zemi said changing her question slightly from before.

"Just thinking" Ichigo answered returning his gaze out onto the sands of Las Noches.

"Tch, you're always drifting off thinking about something Ichigo. It's boring here we should go and find Harribel and the others or I could introduce you to Nelliel-sama. She seemed quite interested in meeting you after I told her about you." Zemi said hoping Ichigo would do something other than stare at sand.

"Nelliel, who's that?" Ichigo asked wanting to find out more about her.

"She's really nice and very friendly, she helped me pick out my clothes when I was turned into an Arrancar and she was the one that showed me how to get here after I finished getting dressed. She's a member of the Espada as well so she must be very strong." Zemi replied.

She knew that Ichigo and Nelliel would get along with each other since they both seemed to care for the people close to them even if Ichigo didn't show it on the outside. She knew he was caring and friendly since he had shown that side to her but in the presence of other hollows he always kept up his fearsome exterior and she knew just how fearsome and powerful he could be and he didn't take kindly to people disrespecting him or her which she had witnessed first-hand.

She remembered seeing his true power for the first time and how he threatened to kill the self-proclaimed King of Hueco Mundo Baraggan Louisenbairn after he had threatened to kill her.

**Flashback**

Ichigo and Zemi stood in front of Baraggan, King of Hueco Mundo, as he sat on his large throne and they were surrounded on both sides by his large army of hollows. Ichigo didn't really care about the army and was more annoyed at having been called here by Baraggan.

Zemi on the other hand was feeling nervous and was quite scared as she sat to the side of Ichigo. She had heard rumors of Baraggan's strength and the size of his army and she felt although Ichigo was powerful he couldn't take on Baraggan as well as his army.

"Quit wasting my time Baraggan and tell us why you called us here." Ichigo said breaking the silence that had overtook the area.

"Watch your tone ant! I could crush you in an instant. The reason I called you here is to offer you deal." Baraggan replied frustrated at Ichigo's lack of respect for him.

"We're not interested in your deal Baraggan" Ichigo replied not even giving him a chance to explain what the deal was. Ichigo wasn't stupid he knew that Baraggan was going to try and recruit him and Ichigo wasn't interested.

Baraggan let out a laugh that seemed to echo through the air, "You don't have much choice Ichigo either join my army or you disappear to somewhere I can't see. The problem with that is that there isn't anywhere in my realm of Hueco Mundo that I can't see. Perhaps I shall kill that little pet of yours to show what happens to people that refuse me."

Zemi's eyes widened in shock and what she had heard, Baraggan was going to kill her and she was sure that Ichigo wouldn't be able to stop the King of Hueco Mundo.

However her thoughts were interrupted as a monstrous Reiatsu crushed against her pinning her and the hollow army down to the floor. 'What is this Reiatsu, I've never felt anything so monstrous' she thought to herself as her body shook in fear.

She was in shock again when she realized the source of large Reiatsu. She could see Ichigo who was the only hollow left standing staring down Baraggan with a furious look in his eye and as she turned her attention to Baraggan she could see him being crushed against his throne.

'How can he have this much power and how come he can hide it away so well that I have never even sensed it since I've been with him.' Zemi thought to herself as she stared in awe at Ichigo after seeing his true power for the first time.

"I'll let you off with a warning this time Baraggan, never threaten her life while in my presence again or I will crush you and your whole army!" Ichigo shouted pointing his claw like finger towards Baraggan who couldn't do anything to respond due to the Reiatsu pushing him down.

That was the last thing Zemi saw as she lost consciousness due to the intense pressure of Ichigo's Reiatsu pressing down on her.

**End Flashback **

Zemi couldn't help but smile as she remembered that moment. He had stood against the King of Hueco Mundo and his army just to defend her. She wasn't sure what happened after she passed out since Ichigo wouldn't tell her for some reason but whatever he did worked since they weren't bothered by Baraggan anymore after that incident.

She was broken out of her thoughts by Ichigo snapping his fingers in front of her face, "You okay Zem, you were just staring off into the sky for a few minutes." Ichigo inquired with a curious look on his face.

"Y…yeah sorry just got lost in thought" Zemi answered smiling at Ichigo who let out a sigh.

"Well I was saying we should pay Harribel and her Fracción a visit and see how they are settling in. It'll give you a chance to speak with them if you're so bored of spending time with me." Ichigo said as he turned around and headed towards the main double doors that was the entrance to his palace with Zemi following close behind.

-OO-

Tier Harribel stood on the balcony of her new palace which overlooked the desert of Las Noches and she was feeling pleased that she took up Aizen's offer. It had been quite a few hours since she had become an Arrancar and she had spent a lot of that time thinking about Ichigo.

She was still unsure what to make of him even though he had saved her life and helped her Fracción but she was still not sure if she could trust him. She couldn't help but remember how warm and safe his arms felt when he caught her. At the time she didn't think much of it but thinking about it now she felt a warm feeling build up inside of her which felt nice to her.

'How could he have felt so warm when he was a Vasto Lorde?' she asked herself, 'maybe he is someone I can trust'. In the end she felt like she was trying convince herself that he wasn't going to betray her like a typical hollow would but she would at least try and open up to him after all he had saved her life.

'Maybe I should pay him a visit to thank him and see what happens tomorrow since I'm feeling a bit tired after our journey here.' However her thoughts were soon interrupted once again by her Fraccións constant arguing.

Sung-sun was stood watching Harribel who looked to be deep in thought about something while Mila-rose and Apache argued over something trivial.

"What was that Mila-rose!" Apache shouted at her fellow Fracción.

"Are you deaf now midget!" Mila-rose shouted back.

"Shut up gorilla!" Apache countered.

"Bitch!" Mila-rose shouted as their argument continued.

"Now now you two stop shouting it makes you look even uglier than normal" Sung-sun said interrupting the current argument.

"Shut up Sung-sun!" Both girls shouted back in unison.

However their argument was interrupted by a sudden knock on the main palace door.

-OO-

It hadn't taken long for Ichigo and Zemi to arrive at Harribel's palace. After locating her Reiatsu they set off using Sonído in which Ichigo kept it a normal pace so Zemi could keep up.

They had both been standing outside for a few minutes listening to what must have been Apache and Mila-rose arguing. Ichigo wasn't sure why he hadn't knocked on the door yet but he felt a little nervous as he thought of what to say to Harribel which was unlike him.

"Are you going to knock eventually or just stand there staring at the door?" Ichigo was broken out of thought as he turned his head and glared at Zemi who stood with her hands on her hips staring back.

"Tch, was just thinking about something so stop getting on my case." Ichigo replied back eventually knocking on the door which caused the argument taken place inside to come to a standstill.

"What!" a tomboyish Arrancar shouted as she opened the door. Normally if someone had of shouted at him like that he would done something about it but he let it slide since she was a member of Harribel's Fracción and he didn't want to get off on the wrong foot with her.

Ichigo noticed she had two differently colored eyes. Her right eye was blue while her left eye was amber with a red outline around it. She had black jaw-length hair and her mask fragment was on the top of her head with a horn in the middle. She wore the white standard Arrancar uniform but with shoulder length sleeves with black cuffs with a V-neck and gloves and collars over her wrists, which Ichigo assumed were actually her Zanpakutō.

'This must be Apache' thought Ichigo to himself. "I'm Kurosaki Ichigo, I was wondering if I could talk to Harribel."

Apache's eyes widened and her cheeks flushed red as she realized who she had just shouted at. "My apologies Kurosaki-Sama! My name is Emilou Apache please come in." Apache stuttered as she scolded herself inside for shouting at the person who had saved Harribel-sama's life.

"It's quite alright Apache," Ichigo replied making his way inside the palace. He took note of the layout since it was rather similar to his own apart from a few changes here and there and his eyes fell upon the other two members of Harribel's Fracción standing side by side.

The first one he laid eyes on he assumed was Sung-sun. She was an attractive slender female with long flowing olive-green hair, long eyelashes, and three pink dots just below her right eye. She had lavender colored eyes and her mask piece was three hair clip-like extensions on the right side of her bangs. She wore a furry black necklace around her neck and a long white dress with long sleeves that extended well past her hands, with a single slit in each one.

"My name is Cyan Sung-sun. You have my thanks for saving Lady Harribel's life Kurosaki-sama." Sung-sun said as she covered her mouth with her sleeve and bowed to Ichigo.

The final member of Harribel's Fracción he knew now was Mila-rose. She was tall and dark skinned with green eyes and wavy dark hair. Her mask fragments form a three-sectioned crown around her head and a thick necklace and he noticed her Hollow hole was positioned mid-way between her navel and large breasts which were barely covered by white bra-like armour and she also wore a white skirt and black boots.

"And I am Franceska Mila-rose and you also have my thanks for saving Harribel-sama's life." Mila-rose added her introduction and also bowed to Ichigo.

He nodded back at the three Fracción in front and turned around to introduce Zemi. "This is Zemi Vecrima, if I remember correctly I believe you have already talked to each other when I was fighting Aizen." Ichigo said as he turned to head towards the balcony where Harribel was standing.

"Hello Harribel" Ichigo greeted as he stood to the side of Harribel and was finally able to see what she looked like as an Arrancar. 'Wow she is beautiful, it's just a shame I can only see part of her face' was the first thing that came into his mind which didn't really come as a surprise.

She had dark tanned skin with green piercing eyes and messy short blonde hair with three braided locks that hung down her back and over her shoulder. She wore a variation of the Arrancar jacket with a high collar that covers the lower part of her face downward, while baring a good portion of the lower half of her large breasts which were made to look even bigger due to the fact that she stood with her arms crossed underneath.

The jacket had a zipper running along its entire length that is opened from the bottom upwards. The jacket's sleeves completely enveloped her arms ending in black glove like extensions resembling the appearance of a cat's paw.

Ichigo noticed that she carried her Zanpakutō horizontally across her back and it looked rather broad and short compared to normal Zanpakutō and it had a western-style guard. Ichigo noticed that he couldn't see her mask fragment so thought it must have been below her jacket.

"Hello Ichigo" Harribel replied getting a good look at Ichigo for the first time out of the corner of her eyes. She also had the same feelings as Ichigo popping up in her head when she took notice of his alluring features. She also noticed his muscled arms and she was suddenly feeling glad that most of her face was covered since her cheeks were beginning to go pink.

"You can call me Tier by the way when we are in private" Harribel added. She wasn't sure why she had just given him permission to use her first name but she had a feeling inside of her that was telling her to open up to him.

Ichigo was quite surprised at what Harribel had just said after all she didn't seem like the type of person to suddenly say something like that but he was also glad that she was opening up to him. "So how are you settling in then Tier?"

"Fine thank you. I wasn't expecting to have my own palace to live in the size of this to be honest." Harribel replied suddenly finding herself speaking more words to this person who she had only spoke with once before then she had to her three Fracción since they had met.

"I was quite surprised myself, I wasn't expecting Aizen to be so generous." Ichigo replied glad that Harribel was not as quite as he was expecting. "What do you make of Aizen anyway?"

Harribel was quite surprised at the question even though she didn't show it on the outside. 'Why would he ask that kind of question, maybe he knows something I don't.' She thought to herself.

"I'm not sure, it's gonna be tough to defeat the Shinigami and dethrone the Spirit King but he obviously has it all planned out but I still don't fully trust him. However I will fight for him since he gave the opportunity for this power so I guess I owe him to fight for him," Harribel answered. "What about you Ichigo?"

"I feel the same way in terms of I owe him my allegiance since he gave me this new power but I don't trust him. There's something not right about him and I don't believe for one second that he cares about hollows getting an equal world to Shinigami." Ichigo replied taking a seat on a nearby sofa as he finished speaking.

"So why did you take him up on his offer if you think he doesn't care." Harribel asked, curious as to what Ichigo was thinking as she joined him on the sofa.

"Because he promised me more power than what I already had and I felt that taking him up on his offer was the best way to protect Zemi but it doesn't mean I have to trust him, he is a Shinigami after all. However I could be wrong and he actually does care about hollows but that's going against my inner feelings which are spot on normally when they tell me to do something."

"I see" Harribel wasn't sure how to respond but she felt happy with his answer. He had chosen to join Aizen for the same reasons she had to protect those close to them. She was also glad that Ichigo was here in with her in the Espada since she felt much safer in his presence which felt weird considering she had survived on along with her Fracción by herself and had achieved Vasto Lorde status.

They sat in silence for a few minutes before Harribel interrupted it. "This might sound like a stupid question but why did save me. You could have easily let me die and even let Zemi consume my body." She hoped her voice sounded strong on the outside because inside she was worried by what Ichigo might say.

She wasn't sure why she asked it but she felt that she just needed to find out since it would give her a good indication of where she fit with Ichigo. She knew that he considered her a friend but for some reason she was hoping that there was something more maybe.

'I'm probably just crazy; hollows can't become attached to other hollows in that way it doesn't work like that.' No matter how much she told herself that she just felt like she was arguing against her own feelings. She was broken out of her thoughts as Ichigo started to speak.

When he first heard the question he was wondering why she cared about his reasons for saving her but it soon came clear to him that Tier wanted to understand what she meant to him. He thought carefully about his answer since he liked Tier a lot but was unsure how she really felt about him.

"Do you remember when Zemi told you the story of when I saved her when we were inside your old home," Harribel nodded her head giving him the sign to continue.

"Well when I first sensed her presence alongside the other Adjuchas that were attacking her I instantly got a strong feeling in my stomach to go and check it out. It sounded like a voice in my head telling me to go and help whoever was getting attacked. That was the only time I had experienced anything like that until I sensed you being attacked, apart from this time it was much stronger and the voice seemed much louder urging me to help you. I've only experienced twice now but each time someone important as came into my life. You probably think it sounds stupid huh Tier?"

"Not at all Ichigo" Harribel replied. On the outside she looked the same apart from the big smile hidden under her jacket. Inside her head she was feeling happy, happy that she meant as much as Zemi did to him and maybe even more since she knew that Zemi meant a lot to him since they had been together for a long time. She closed her eyes and rested her head on his shoulder finding comfort and a time to relax in his presence.

They had been talking for a quite a while and they were enjoying each others company as silence fell upon them unsure of what to talk about however they both inwardly felt that it wasn't an awkward silence that would of normally made them feel uncomfortable but it made them feel relaxed as they both sat on the comfy sofa.

-OO-

Meanwhile another argument had broken out between Apache and Mila-rose.

"Why would he go for a midget when he could someone like me." Mila-rose said getting Apache even more annoyed then she already was.

"Why would he want you, you're a gorilla!" Shouted Apache

"Well your flat chested so he's obviously not going to like you Apache!"

"I think I have the best chance with him to be fair." Zemi said finding it funny how easy Apache and Mila-rose were to wind up. They had been arguing since Ichigo and Harribel had begun talking about who stood more of a chance with him.

She didn't see Ichigo like they did, she saw him as more of a protector, she wanted him to wrap his muscular arms around her and hold her close. 'Wait where the hell did that come from' Zemi suddenly asked herself as she couldn't get the thought of Ichigo out of her head. 'Please don't say I'm falling for him.' Zemi said to herself as her cheeks began to turn pink as she as she hoped the other girls with her wouldn't notice.

"He's ours!" Apache and Mila-rose shouted at the same time towards Zemi.

"I think you three might have missed your chance" Sung-sun added pointing in the direction of Ichigo and Harribel on the sofa.

All three girls' eyes widened as they took in the scene before them. Harribel had fallen asleep with her head resting on Ichigo's shoulder.

"How come she let her guard down so easily? I wonder what they talked about." Apache said shocked at seeing her leader in that position.

"I haven't seen her that relaxed since I've known her." Mila-rose added happy for Harribel but also slightly jealous.

"I'm happy for her, she deserves the chance to relax and let her guard down for a while." Sung-sun finally added felling happy for Harribel. 'What's this pain I'm feeling in my chest every time I look at them.' Her eyes widened and her cheeks flushed as she realized she was jealous of her leaders position.

-OO-

'It's probably time I leave and get some sleep myself' Ichigo thought to himself as he slowly stood up, being extra careful to not wake Harribel. She had fallen asleep a little while ago but Ichigo was enjoying her company so he decided not disturb her. He picked her up bridal-style and she instinctively grabbed onto his jacket which he found funny as he slowly made his way to her bedroom ignoring the stares of the other four females across the room. He entered the large bedroom which was pretty much identical to his own and placed her carefully on the bed.

'She must have been pretty tired from the journey here if she fell asleep like that' Ichigo said to himself as he left the room and signaled for Zemi to follow as he made his way back to his own room.

**Nothing really much happened this chapter in terms of the Espada since I wanted to spend this chapter on the relationship between Ichigo and Harribel so It might seem like it advanced quite quickly as Harribel opened up easily over one conversation but there's still a long way to go as I'll introduce Nel in the next chapter as she meets Ichigo for the first time.**


	3. Friendship

**Thanks to those who reviewed and followed my story and I'm sorry that it took me a long time to release this chapter but I have been very busy in the past few weeks so I hope it is as good as the previous chapters.**

Ichigo slowly made his way across the greyish sand of Hueco Mundo heading in the direction of his objective. Ichigo wanted to take his time heading there since he wanted to savour the peace and quiet of Hueco Mundo since he would now be spending most of his time inside Las Noches.

It was only his second day of being a part of Aizen's army and he had already been giving a mission to do not that Ichigo minded considering it gave him something to do rather than sit in his palace inside Las Noches.

He had met another Shinigami working with Aizen when he was woken up by Zemi telling him someone wanted to talk to him. He was called Tosen Kaname if Ichigo remembered correctly and what stood out the most about him was that he was blind but Ichigo could tell he was still rather powerful and was masquerading as a captain in Soul Society alongside Aizen and Ichimaru Gin.

Tousen had told him that Aizen wanted him to seek out a powerful natural Arrancar that resided near to Las Noches who was worthy of becoming a member of the Espada and try and recruit him. Tousen had told him that the hollow would probably be the second Espada just behind himself if Aizen's knowledge was correct.

Ichigo wondered why Tousen himself couldn't go and recruit the hollow but he had told him that he wasn't staying long in Hueco Mundo since certain people would grow suspicious if he was missing for a long time and he was just checking up on Las Noches and to inform Ichigo of the mission.

Ichigo could tell he was getting closer to the arrancar since he could suddenly feel a dense Reiatsu fall upon him. Now Ichigo could tell why Aizen wanted this hollow to be a part of his army since from his reiatsu alone it felt very powerful even more so than when he first met Harribel before she became an Arrancar but still not as much as himself.

He was rather surprised by the scene that greeted him as he stood on a large sand dune in front of his objective. Two huge mountains of dead hollows stood on either side of what looked like two natural Arrancar, one a grown man and one looked like a little girl.

The man had what seemed like grey eyes and wavy, dark brown hair that ended at the base of his neck, and he keeps it unkempt and parted down the middle and also had a faded goatee. Ichigo couldn't see his mask piece or his hollow hole which due to the grey cloak that covered the man.

The girl that was sat beside him was also covered in a similar cloak however her mask was visible and it took form of a helmet with two horns on the top of her head. The left horn looked as if it had been cut off and the left half of the mask covers her left eye while her visible right eye is pink.

"Quite impressive killing this many hollows" Ichigo said nodding his head towards one of the piles of hollows.

"I didn't kill them" The man replied eyeing the Arrancar that had just appeared before him.

"Oh?" Ichigo was rather surprised and confused at this as his eyes widened but the man spoke once again seemingly understanding his confusion.

"They just died when they came into a certain distance to us. That must mean you are rather strong considering you're not dead yet." The man finished not taking his eyes off Ichigo.

"I see and yes I would call myself strong as are you being able to kill this many hollows with your reiatsu alone is impressive." Ichigo answered back.

"If you say so although having hollows die just by being close to me does make life rather quiet and lonely if I do say so myself." The man said seemingly enjoying having someone to talk to.

"I can imagine although I am rather intrigued by your companion there since she is able to withstand your rather fearsome lack of control over your reiatsu." Ichigo said casting his eyes of the young looking girl.

"She is a special case and I'd rather not tell you about her since you just mysteriously appear before us without introducing yourself and stating your intentions." The man answered narrowing his eyes towards Ichigo still unsure what to make of the Arrancar who appeared before him.

"My apologies if I upset you that was not my intention. I myself have someone I take care of so I understand your concern. My name is Ichigo by the way." Ichigo said understanding the man's concerns over his companion's safety.

"No worries Ichigo my name is Coyote Starrk." Starrk replied.

"And I'm Lilynette Gingerbuck." The rather young looking girl said speaking for the first time since Ichigo had arrived.

"Well it's nice to meet you Starrk and Lilynette" Nodding his head towards Starrk and Lilynette respectively. "Since your probably wondering why I am here let me tell you. I am here to see if you're interested in joining Aizen's army in Las Noches. He can help you gain more power by using an object called the Hōgyoku but since you are already an Arrancar it will only help you to harness and control your power much more than you can now so you don't have to be lonely anymore Starrk." Ichigo stated.

He was rather interested in what Starrk's answer was going to be since he was still unsure of what drove Starrk since he didn't seem like a hollow driven by power which was rather strange considering he was a hollow and normally hollows are driven by getting stronger.

Starrk had heard rumours of a Shinigami trying to gather strong hollows to form an army but Starrk wasn't really bothered enough to go out and seek him and would wait and see if Aizen would come to him and offer him something.

What was most interesting in this offer from Ichigo was the fact that there would be powerful Arrancars gathering together which would mean he no longer had to be lonely and Ichigo didn't seem to be a bad person and Starrk thought he could get on well with him.

"That's a rather interesting offer Ichigo. It means no longer being alone and having a decent place to sleep would be nice." Starrk answered with a slight smile.

"I am glad you're interested Starrk it would be nice to have more friends at Las Noches and I'm sure you feel the same way. Well if you just come to Las Noches in the next few days and just ask for me at the main gate but for now I should head back I'm sure Zemi is missing me. It's been nice meeting you Starrk, Lilynette." Ichigo said smiling inwardly at convincing Starrk to join since he seemed different from the usual bloodthirsty hollows you come across in Las Noches and he was hoping that there would be more members of the Espada like him and Starrk but he wasn't holding his breath.

"Nice to meet you to Ichigo I'm sure we'll see you soon." Starrk replied nodding his head towards Ichigo who then disappeared as the sound of Sonído filled the air of Hueco Mundo.

"Well he didn't seem too bad huh Starrk we better be going to Las Noches soon I wanna meet more Arrancar." Lilynette said breaking the silence following Ichigo's departure.

"We'll leave soon." Starrk replied closing his eyes and seemingly falling asleep which produced a sigh from the obviously bored Lilynette.

-OO-

Zemi found herself wondering the halls of Las Noches seemingly heading for Harribel's palace since she was rather bored. Ichigo had left on his mission he had received from Aizen which Zemi wasn't too pleased about since he didn't take her with him saying it might be dangerous.

'Tch I might actually be lost now' Zemi thought to herself as she went down another corridor. She wasn't the best at searching for spiritual pressure but she could feel the four female Arrancars somewhere in the general direction she was heading but with so many twists and turns Zemi was starting to wonder if this place was built to make people get lost.

"Oh what do we have here another silly bitch in Las Noches?" A male voice suddenly broke Zemi out of her thoughts and she suddenly turned around to see who was there.

Turning around she saw an incredibly tall and thin Arrancar with black hair that hung past his shoulders concealing the left side of his face and a large white eye patch with one exposed grey eye. His clothing consisted of a modified Arrancar jacket with a spoon like hood and an opening starting at the neckline, showing most of his midsection, and closing at his waist. He also wore a standard hakama but the ends of his pant legs closed inside extended and curved boots.

She also noticed how his Zanpakutō took the form of a giant axe like weapon made up of two crescent moon shaped blades fused together with a large chain connected to the shaft at the end of the handle which was then connected to his waist.

"Who the hell are you?" Zemi replied taking a step back. She could tell this man was strong, a lot stronger than her, but she wasn't going to step back from someone disrespecting her Ichigo had taught her more than that.

She slowly moved her hand to place it on her Zanpakutō but soon found herself starting to mentally panic as her Zanpakutō wasn't there and she mentally slapped herself for forgetting it.

'How could I be so stupid to forget it especially after Ichigo warned me before he left.' Zemi berated herself as she remembered Ichigo warning her to not go anywhere without her Zanpakutō since he didn't trust anyone in Las Noches with her safety especially since he hadn't met other members of the Espada.

At the time she thought it was rather obvious since her main source of power came from her Zanpakutō, her Resurrección, but now she could see why he said it. She was too much in thought to feel someone coming closer to her and it was too late to avoid the Arrancar that had confronted her.

"You should show some respect to your superiors' girl I wouldn't want to mess up that pretty face of yours or maybe you'd be better at serving me with that body." The man said letting out a loud laugh and with a lecherous smile his eyes moved over Zemi's form.

"W…wait you're an E…Espada" Zemi stuttered back once again mentally slapping herself for sounding so weak as she noticed the man starting to make his way over to her.

"Of course, you should be honoured to be in my presence." The man answered back getting closer to Zemi who was finding herself stepping backwards.

Zemi was starting to panic even more after hearing that he was an Espada she knew now that putting up a fight or even trying to escape would useless since he was much stronger than her, now she could only hope for Ichigo to come since he should be from his mission by now.

She suddenly found herself backing into a wall and the man was now right in front of her and his bony finger came out and stroked her cheek, she had nowhere to run and was at the mercy of this Espada as a lone tear slipped down her face as she thought her death would come or maybe worse she had no idea what was going to happen to her.

"I suggest you keep walking Nnoitra and leave her alone" A high pitched voice suddenly broke Zemi out of her misery and she turned her head to take in the form of her so called saviour and she recognised her as Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck.

Nel had a rather sad look in her big hazel eyes as Zemi locked eyes with her. Nel had long waving greenish blue hair with her mask sitting in the form of a cartoon like skull on the top of her head. She wore a white long sleeved jacket that covered her rather big breasts and a typical female Arrancar bottom half with white boots. Her Zanpakutō hung at her waist had a green sheath, a light green hilt and a tsuba that resembled a pair of crescent moons joined together at the back.

"Screw you Nelliel you can't order me about you bitch!" Nnoitra replied turning his attention away from Zemi for which she was glad for and towards Nel who met his gaze.

"I stopped you for your own good Nnoitra I don't think Aizen would be happy at losing a member of his precious Espada." Nel replied seemingly not intimidated by Nnoitra at all which made Zemi wonder how strong Nel was.

"Tch what the hell you talking about Nelliel. If you're saying you would kill me for hurting her then I might just go ahead and do it if it gets you to fight me." Nnoitra replied suddenly liking the idea of fighting Nel.

"I'm sure you've heard rumours amongst the Arrancar in Las Noches of Aizen himself going out to recruit a Vasto Lorde who was apparently as strong as Aizen himself which is why he couldn't send any of us but had to go himself. Apparently he will be the new Primera once Aizen gives us our ranks and that girl there is incredibly close to him and I don't think he would be too pleased if he heard about this." Nel replied trying to get rid of Nnoitra before he did something stupid.

Nel's plan worked as Nnoitra seemed to suddenly tense up after hearing that even Nnoitra knew he was no match for someone even close to Aizen's strength and he suddenly made his way past Nel and back down the hallway but not before glaring at Nel and telling her he would fight her soon.

To say Zemi was relived would be an understatement. Nel had come right before anything bad had happened and she was relieved that it was Nel and not another male who probably would of just walked right past or who knows maybe even joined Nnoitra in making her suffer.

"You ok Zemi?" Nel's high pitched voice broke Zemi out of her depressing thoughts.

"Yes thank you Nelliel-sama. If you hadn't come I'm not sure what would have happened." Zemi answered her voice still shaky after the incident.

"No need to thank me, I'm just glad I got here at the right time I could feel your reiatsu going erratic so I came to see if you were alright since I knew Nnoitra was nearby. You should be more careful walking around here and you should always carry your Zanpakutō." Nel stated as she approached Zemi who was still up against the wall.

"Thank you again Nelliel-sama" Zemi began which produced a childlike giggle from Nel, "I understand Ichigo warned me about always taking my Zanpakutō just this morning but I still managed to forget it.

"Well I can walk you back to your palace if you like and we can have a nice chat on the way." Nel replied now with a smile on her face.

"That would be nice, I think Ichigo has returned from his mission and he would probably like to meet you Nelliel-sama. I just hope he doesn't get angry at me for getting into trouble and forgetting his warning." Zemi replied as she took her place next to Nel and they began to head towards Ichigo's palace.

"I wouldn't worry too much Zemi, from what you told me yesterday Ichigo will just be glad you're safe." Nel added.

-OO-

Ichigo was once again stood on the balcony of his private palace having just returned from his mission not long before hand and he was expecting the arrival of Zemi in a few moments. The first thing he noticed was that Zemi was missing from the palace and he presumed she had gone to see Harribel's Fracción. Using his Pesquisa ability he found Zemi heading towards Harribel's palace and she seemed fine so he decided that he would just relax for now.

However he then noticed that she had left her Zanpakutō behind and grew angry that she hadn't listened to him earlier on. He felt that he should go and find her to give her a piece of his mind and return her Zanpakutō to her but he quickly dismissed that idea since he would rather just relax for now after just returning.

After standing on the balcony for a few minutes he then felt Zemi's reiatsu flair up which meant that something was happening to her and he could feel that she was in the presence of someone else who was much stronger than her. He instantly headed for the door to head towards her but before he reached it he suddenly felt someone else head towards her. It was another powerful yet calming reiatsu and it was even stronger than the person who was with Zemi.

He recognised it as the same person who escorted Zemi to the palace after they had been turned into Arrancar and Zemi told him that it was a female name Nelliel so he decided he would see what happened and just wait for Zemi to return.

It hadn't been too long for Zemi's reiatsu to calm down but it still wasn't fully back to normal and he felt her outside slowly making her way towards the palace with Nelliel. He was planning on scolding her for do something as easy as forgetting her Zanpakutō especially after just telling her this morning and he wasn't to fussed that Nel would be there since from what he had heard from Zemi she also had people she cared about.

A few minutes later Zemi opened the main door of the palace and headed inside signalling for Nel to follow. She noticed that Ichigo had indeed returned and was standing with his back to them on the balcony. Making her way towards him with Nel following close behind she then noticed that her Zanpakutō was leaning next to him. Before she could even say anything Ichigo's voice broke the silence.

"What happened?" Ichigo asked. Zemi noticed that his voice wasn't its usual calm and protective self in her presence but it was louder and colder than usual and sent a shiver down her spine and she knew he was angry at her.

"A…a member of the E…espada named N…Nnoitra threatened me." Zemi managed to eventually get out holding back her tears since she hated disappointing Ichigo since he had done so much for her and never asked anything in return so the least she could do was listen and do what he says and she also wanted to be strong in front of Nel.

"What's this here?" Ichigo said pointing his finger towards her Zanpakutō next to him.

"My Z…Zanpakutō." Zemi answered.

"Since you have been answering my questions I take it you aren't deaf" Ichigo's cold voice sending shivers down her spine once again.

"N…no Ichigo I'm s…sorry I f…forgot it I didn't mean too I swear." Zemi replied as tears eventually found their way out and slid down her face.

"You're lucky that Nelliel was around to help you idiot otherwise I would have been even angrier. I'm disappointed in you Zemi." Ichigo knew that he could have helped Zemi as well but he wanted her to understand she can't do silly things like this in Las Noches.

"S…Sorry Ichigo. P…please don't be angry." Zemi didn't trust her voice to add anymore as she faced the floor trying to hide her tears but she knew she wasn't doing a very good job.

Zemi was angry at herself now, it might have seemed petty to Nel to see Ichigo treat her like that just for forgetting her Zanpakutō but after everything he had done for her he was angry at the fact something stupid she had done could have cost her life. Ichigo had taught her better then to let her guard down especially when he was away from her.

Zemi was berating herself mentally for doing something so silly and tears were streaming down her face, she just hoped that Ichigo wouldn't see so she faced the floor hoping to hide the tears from him. They stood in a silence for what seemed like hours for Zemi but in reality was a few minutes and the only sound that could be heard was Zemi erratic breathing.

She was expecting Ichigo to scold her some more but instead she felt a warm hand on top of her head and another on her chin and her head was turned upwards to look into the eyes of Ichigo. His eyes were not what she was expecting; there was a caring and protective look in them compared to the cold and angry look she was expecting to see. She found herself being pulled into a warm hug and felt her hair being stroked by Ichigo.

Nel had been quite excited to meet Ichigo at first. From what Zemi had told her he was similar to her in a way in that he cared about the one person he held close like she did with her two Fracción Pesche and Dondochakka.

However hearing him talk for the first time was not what she was expected his voice was cold and it even made her feel like she was the one getting scolded so she couldn't have imagined how Zemi must have been feeling at this moment.

It also upset her since Zemi was still shaken up from her incident with Nnoitra so it must have been even more difficult for her to hear the one person that cared about her be angry at her. Nel felt like giving Ichigo a piece of her mind even though she had no idea what he would do for interrupting him. If he could get angry at Zemi then who knows what he would say to her if she interrupted.

She could see Zemi shaken beside her and the tears that were streaming down her face even though she tried to hide them and this upset her even more. She was just about to give her some support when Ichigo turned around and made his way towards them.

Looking into his eyes she didn't see any anger that she as expecting but they had an upset look about them. Nel thought that Ichigo must have been upset with himself for making her cry and it was a relief to Nel to see that he did have a softer side to him. Her thoughts were reassured when she saw Ichigo embrace Zemi into a hug and it brought a smile onto her face.

Ichigo was upset with himself for making Zemi cry. He knew that he needed to get his message across but he still didn't like seeing her upset and he even surprised himself when he embraced Zemi into a hug to comfort her even when another person was in the room, he was at least glad that it was Nel since she sounded like a more reasonable Arrancar from what Zemi had told him.

"Idiot," Ichigo began however his voice was no longer cold but back to its usual self which Zemi found calmed her down a little even if he had just called her an idiot. "I didn't mean to make you cry Zem but it's important that you be careful especially when I'm not around. Do you understand?"

Feeling Zemi's head nod against his chest he continued "Just don't do something that silly again, you know I hate seeing you upset and I would hate to see you get hurt when I'm not here to help you."

Ichigo moved his hands to her shoulders and removed her from his chest so he could see her face. He brought his hand to her face to wipe away her tiers and ushered her to the seat on the balcony. "Take a seat Zem and stop crying so we can talk with Nelliel now." Ichigo said turning his attention to Nel as Zemi took a seat.

"Sorry about that Nelliel I hope I didn't make you uncomfortable and you have my thanks for helping Zemi." Ichigo said taking in the appearance of Nel for the first time since she had arrived. 'She's very beautiful' Ichigo found himself thinking.

"It's not a problem and it's nice to meet you Ichigo-sama especially after Zemi told me a lot about you yesterday." Nelliel replied which brought a hint of pink to Zemi's cheeks.

Ichigo's eyes widened at being addressed like that from another member of the Espada and was curious as to why she had. "What's with the –Sama, just Ichigo will be fine."

"Sorry I just thought that with you being given the rank of Primera when the new ranking is done by Aizen when he returns from Soul Society then I should treat you with respect Ichigo and just Nel will be fine by me." Nel replied happy that Ichigo wasn't someone who was too bothered by what position he held.

"I see well I'm not fussed about the whole –Sama thing and friends don't have to address me like that. Anyway it's nice to meet you to Nel after Zemi also told me a lot about you." Ichigo said smiling at Nel and bringing another hint of pink to Zemi's cheeks.

"All good I hope" Nel replied with a giggle which brought a big smile out of Ichigo at hearing her laugh like that.

"It was don't worry." Ichigo said with small chuckle which made Nel laugh. Ichigo turned around and proceeded to look out over the golden sands of Las Noches and Nel took a position next to him. "Do I have something to worry about with this Nnoitra person?" Ichigo asked suddenly turning serious which Nel understood.

"Nnoitra is a hot-headed, chauvinistic pig. He sees any female as a piece of meat that should be below him which is why he holds a grudge against me since I'm stronger then he is." Nel replied.

"Hmm that means Harribel will also have to deal with him since she will no doubt be in a higher position than him." Ichigo said thinking about Harribel and what he should do to put Nnoitra in his place.

"I agree, he will give Harribel a hard time if I am any indication to go by but I'm sure Harribel can deal with him." Nel responded nodding her head in agreement.

"I should have a word with him before he does something he regrets especially after what he did today. If he does anything else to Zemi then I will do something I might regret and I'm sure Aizen wouldn't be too pleased with that." Ichigo said surprising Nel with his fierce tone.

"I wouldn't put it past him to try something else with her if it means getting a fight out of you. I wouldn't stoop to the same level as him Ichigo; I know you're better than that although it is nice to see someone else care about others like you do." Nel replied.

"Your right Nel I shouldn't give him the time of day but I have a feeling he'll do something stupid and I do care about Zemi, we've been through a lot since we met and I've kept her safe so far so I won't let someone like Nnoitra even look at her in the wrong way." Ichigo answered. "From what Zemi told me you also have people you care about so you can probably imagine where I am coming from."

"Yes my Fracción Pesche and Dondochakka are two people very dear to me and if Nnoitra did something to them then I'm not sure I would be able to hold myself back from doing something to him." Nel responded nodding her head in agreement with Ichigo who had a smile on his face after hearing that.

"It seems like Nnoitra turning into an Arrancar has not brought about any difference from what a typical hollow feels compared to you and me since we both seem to care about more than just fighting." Ichigo then said.

"I agree it seems like we are quite similar in that aspect and it seems like Harribel also has that in common with us," Nel said which brought a nod from Ichigo in agreement "Well enough about that depressing topic I heard Tousen brought you mission today." Nel asked in a happy tone trying to improve the mood which seemed to work as Ichigo let out a little chuckle and a giggle could be heard from Zemi.

"Yeah I was sent to recruit a powerful Arrancar to Aizen's army. He didn't take much persuading to be honest he seemed to be more interested in friendship rather than getting even stronger which was a nice surprise." Ichigo responded casting his mind back to his encounter with Starrk.

"Well as long as it's not another Nnoitra type it'll be fine." Nel said while giggling "What rank do you think he'll be given when Aizen returns and did he have a name I'll have to keep an eye out when he arrives since he doesn't sound too bad." Nel added.

"His name was Starrk and he also had a young looking girl with him as well called Lilynette. In terms of ranking Tousen told me that Aizen thought he was powerful enough to be the Segunda Espada and after meeting him I would probably agree but we'll have to wait and see. I couldn't sense much from the girl but it seemed like they were spiritually connected in some way." Ichigo answered enjoying Nel's company.

They spent quite a while talking with one another while Zemi sat listening and occasionally adding something to the conversation. Ichigo enjoyed talking with Nel and found her rather funny at times with her sometimes childlike behaviour but he could tell that she could also turn serious when needed.

Nel was also thinking the same thing about enjoying Ichigo's company. He came across as a rather caring Arrancar but Nel knew that he wasn't someone you would want to get on the bad side of but she felt she wouldn't have to worry about that since they seemed to become good friends over the period they were conversing with each other.

After a while Nel excused herself saying she wanted to check on her Fracción which Ichigo understood. He felt that he had grown closer to Nel over the short period of time they had spent together and he felt he had gained another friend in Las Noches. He also found himself feeling the same way about Nel that he did about Harribel but he wasn't entirely sure what to make of it. He felt that he would have to spend more time with them and see how his feelings developed.

**Longest chapter so far and I just wanted this chapter to introduce Starrk who will become a good friend of Ichigo's which is why I had him go to recruit Starrk rather than Aizen. I also wanted to introduce Nel and build on the relationship along with Ichigo's and Zemi's. I don't think the relationship between Ichigo and Nel didn't advance to far but I'm happy with how it went.**


	4. Training

**Once again thanks to those who have reviewed and followed my story. I will probably update this story every week or two at the most so expect more of the same in the upcoming future in terms of wait time. I have also decided that it will be a Ichigo/Harribel pairing so I'm sorry if anyone doesn't like that.**

"That was amazing Kurosaki-sama, you haven't even used your Zanpakutō yet!" Lilynette shouted laughing at the expense of the four Arrancar who were now lying on the sand of Las Noches panting heavily. Ichigo turned to face the young looking Arrancar with a smile which brought a big smile out of Lilynette as she sat on a large rock overlooking the apparent fight.

It had been two weeks since Ichigo had decided to join Aizen's forces alongside Harribel and Aizen himself was still in Soul Society with Gin and Tōsen and they would return to Hueco Mundo soon. He was enjoying his time in Las Noches so far having met Nel and Starrk and their respective Fracción and they were good company. Starrk and Lilynette arrived at Las Noches just the day after Ichigo had spoken to them and since then him and Starrk had enjoyed each other's company when Starrk wasn't asleep.

He had also met Ulquiorra and Grimmjow who were also a part of the Espada but he wasn't a huge fan of them. Ulquiorra was emotionless and didn't seem to be a fan of spending time with anyone while Grimmjow was loud and obnoxious and always wanted to fight somebody not that Ichigo minded that but it grew tiresome listening to Grimmjow challenge him to fight all the time. He still hadn't seen Nnoitra who seemed to be avoiding him which Ichigo was glad for and he still hadn't met any other Espada but from what he had heard from Nel they were a weird bunch.

"Shut up Lilynette you little bitch why don't you try fighting him!" Apache's loud voice broke Ichigo out of his thoughts as he turned his attention back to his so called opponents.

Apache was now standing up facing Lilynette with an angry look on her face while Sung-sun and Mila-rose both were both sat on the floor looking exhausted. Zemi was stood to the side of them with an angry look on her face which Ichigo noticed was aimed towards the three Arrancar beside her and not at him and Ichigo also noticed that she did seem to be in a better condition than the other three.

"Shut up Apache if you had of used Cero earlier then we would have had him!" Another loud shout came out this time from Mila-rose.

"Whatever Mila-rose, it was you who messed up not me!" Apache countered.

"You both messed up" the soft voice of Sung-sun added to the argument which brought a sigh from Ichigo and Zemi.

"Now now girls how many times have I told you two. You shouldn't be fighting amongst yourselves while your enemy still stands." Ichigo's said interrupting the argument before it could go any further. It had been a frustrating few days for Ichigo since he had agreed with Harribel on training her Fracción and Zemi together to see if they could help each other.

**Flashback**

It had been three days since Ichigo had decided to start training Zemi to increase her survival chances in the coming war they had been recruited for. He knew that Zemi had potential to be strong and he would get the best out of her by the time Aizen's war came upon them no matter how far away it was.

Ichigo stood across from Zemi as they stood on the sand outside their palace. Zemi with her Zanpakutō drawn panting heavily while Ichigo stood calmly looking like he hadn't been doing anything for the past few hours while in reality he had been training with Zemi.

"Damn it!" Zemi shouted growing frustrated with herself for not even being able to cut Ichigo's Hierro. 'He hasn't even drawn his so sword and he still hasn't even broken a sweat. Am I really that weak?'

"There's no use in growing frustrated Zemi, the reason you can't cut me is simple, you lack killing intent." Ichigo said breaking Zemi out of her daze.

"Huh?" Zemi intelligently responded.

"You need to want to hurt me Zemi; you shouldn't be holding anything back during these spars. You need to sharpen your blade if you want to be able to cut me." Ichigo added motioning for Zemi to come at him.

In a flash of Sonído Zemi appeared behind Ichigo with her sword in position to strike at the exposed neck of Ichigo who hadn't even moved. Bringing her sword down she once again found herself frustrated as Ichigo's hand seemingly appeared out of nowhere to grab her sword and he threw her away with ease as she landed in the same place she had started.

"That was better but still not good enough to cut me but then again I am strongest Arrancar in Las Noches so don't be too disappointed," Ichigo reassured Zemi noticing her saddened look, "and I'm impressed at how much your speed has improved after only three days." Ichigo then added bringing a smile out of Zemi.

"Thanks Ichi it's because I have a good teacher" Zemi replied smiling at Ichigo.

"Perhaps you should try your Resurrección, I'm sure you're interested in using it and I want to see it." Ichigo said interested in seeing it.

"Your right I haven't had a chance to use it yet." Zemi acknowledged getting into a fighting stance holding her Zanpakutō pointed to the sky.

"Bring it Zem!" Ichigo shouted feeling Zemi's reiatsu rise significantly.

"Come forth, Lobo Princesa!" Zemi shouted as she was covered in a ball of dark brown reiatsu which made her disappear from Ichigo's view.

Once the reiatsu disappeared Ichigo could finally see what her Resurrección looked like. Her body from neck to toes was now covered in dark brown fur like a wolves and she now had a helmet which looked like the head of a wolf. Her Zanpakutō remained unchanged apart from the handle which was now covered in the same colour fur that covered her body and her hands now had sharp looking claws that looked like they could easily rip someone apart.

However the most impressive part of her Resurrección was the two huge wolves that stood on either side of her. Their fur was as dark as the night sky of Hueco Mundo and one had piercing red eyes while the other had white eyes and their sharp teeth could be easily seen in their growling mouths.

Ichigo was very impressed by the sight of her Resurrección and he was also impressed by how much her reiatsu had improved by. It was still no match for an Espada but it was stronger than he thought it was going to be. 'I wonder what theses wolves are capable of and how much it increases her own speed and strength.'

"Attack, Geri!" Zemi ordered as the wolf with white eyes to the left of Zemi suddenly charged towards Ichigo with remarkable speed and dived towards him aiming to maul his neck but Ichigo easily dodged and aimed a kick to the side of Geri who was sent flying back towards Zemi.

"Charge, Freki!" Zemi then ordered the wolf with red eyes to join the fight as both wolves now charged towards Ichigo who stood in anticipation. Aiming a punch at the incoming Freki the wolf suddenly disappeared from view with the sound of Sonído and he was then forced to duck as he barely dodged the large paw of Geri from behind.

Sending another kick towards Geri knocking him back Ichigo then felt what seemed like Zemi charging a cero and as he looked towards her his assumption was correct as she stood with her finger pointed towards him charging a brown cero which she then shot towards him.

Ichigo only smiled at this as he also felt Freki charging towards him from the side. It would have been a good position for Zemi to normally have her opponent since they would either have to block the cero or block Freki to try and dodge but that would mean they would then have Geri straight onto them in.

However Ichigo wasn't worried, after all he was the Primera. As the cero reached him he used his strength to deflect it into the path of the incoming Freki who was then engulfed by the blast. As the cero dissipated the wolf could no longer be seen and Ichigo wondered what would happen now as it was seemingly dead. He also took in the damage to his hand and was surprised to find it heavily burnt as he seemed to underestimate the cero's power and he might have been in trouble if it was a stronger cero but it would heal itself in no time.

Ichigo turned to face Zemi as Geri stood beside her. "It seems I just killed your little pet, it didn't take much." Ichigo then said. To Ichigo's slight surprise Zemi started to laugh which meant that she had something up her sleeve like Ichigo thought she did.

"It'll take more than that to take down my partners," Zemi replied as Freki reappeared beside her, "As long as I have the Reiryoku I can summon them both no matter how many times they die."

"I see, it's rather impressive and quite a deadly ability." Ichigo responded.

"You've seen nothing yet Ichi!" Zemi exclaimed as she took a battle stance and she stuck out a finger towards Ichigo and began to charge a cero which to Ichigo's somewhat surprise was copied by the two wolves on either side of her as a cero began to charge in their open mouths.

"Cero Trilogía!" Zemi cried out as they all released their cero's and as they made their way towards Ichigo they merged into one giant version as Ichigo brought up his hand and strengthened his Reiatsu around it in anticipation to block the giant cero. As the it connected with Ichigo's hand the ground underneath him cracked and he was surprised at how much power it had as he brought his other hand up to deflect it towards the ceiling of Las Noches and he silently hoped it hoped it wouldn't destroy the roof however it disappeared before it could reach the roof.

"Not bad Zemi I actually had to use both of my hands there." Ichigo said with a smile.

"Tch I'm still not done yet!" Zemi retorted as she and her two companions charge towards Ichigo.

They had been fighting for around thirty minutes and Ichigo still hadn't found the need to use his sword much to Zemi's frustration although he did find it quite tough to fight against three attackers who had very good teamwork which was probably due to the connection between the three. He also found it frustrating that no matter how many times he took out the wolves Zemi would call them back and the fight would continue.

"That's enough Zemi, Harribel and her Fracción are here." Ichigo called out noticing Zemi starting to tire heavily and that they would have visitors soon.

Zemi let out a tired groan, called off her Resurrección and took a grateful seat on the sand of Las Noches just as the familiar buzz of Sonído rang through the air as Harribel appeared in front of Ichigo with her Fracción appearing moments later.

"Hello Ichigo" Harribel greeted the strawberry haired Arrancar with a nod of her head as her Fracción went off to speak with Zemi.

"It's good to see you Tier is there something I can help you with." Ichigo replied nodding his head in return.

"I just thought I would see how your training was coming along" Harribel responded.

"Well it's more Zemi's training then mine, she still hasn't made me use my sword yet but she is improving which is good and her Resurrección is rather troublesome." Ichigo answered unable to keep his eyes off the beautiful form of Harribel.

"Well that's good you must be pleased with her." Harribel said noticing Ichigo eyeing her out of the corner of her eyes. She would probably angry if it was someone else looking at her like that be for some reason with Ichigo she didn't mind it, in fact you could say she enjoyed his attention.

"I am and I will do my utmost to get the best out of her. How is the training of your Fracción coming along? Ichigo asked turning his attention towards the four girls talking amongst themselves.

"They growing albeit slowly but in terms of teamwork there has been no progress. No matter what I say they only seem to listen for a short while before they are at each other's throats again." Harribel answered letting out a sigh as she remembered her Fraccións training.

"Perhaps we could assist each other. We could train them together and see if they can help each other and it might be better for them to get help from two Espada and it might be a bit more refreshing for us as well." Ichigo proposed as he turned his attention back to Harribel once again.

"That sounds like a good idea and I'm sure it would be good for my Fracción to be trained by the Primera Espada although I doubt Zemi will be too pleased to find out she won't be the centre of your training anymore." Harribel answered smiling behind her large collar as it meant spending more time with Ichigo.

**End Flashback **

Sung-sun and Mila-rose joined Apache and Zemi on their feet and they all took their respective battle stances across from Ichigo who stood waiting lazily with his hands in his pockets which seemed to anger Apache who immediately charged at Ichigo holding her chackram like Zanpakutō in each hand.

Ichigo easily dodged Apache's wild swings as he brought his knee up to make connection with stomach and kicked her back towards the others then he sensed Sung-sun and Mila-rose appear behind him with Sonído but he blocked Sung-sun's Zanpakutō with his hand easily and threw her towards Mila-rose who was also sent flying as the their bodies collided.

Ichigo then lazily brought his hand up to deflect the brown cero of Zemi into the path of Apache who was charging towards Ichigo once again and blast engulfed her knocking her to the floor as Ichigo disappeared and then reappeared behind Zemi who didn't even realise he was there until a weak fist sent her to the floor.

"How many times have me and Harribel told you to always think about what you are doing in battle. You gave me everything I needed to defeat only using one hand. Apache is charging in recklessly, Sung-sun and Mila-rose not coordinating your attack better and Zemi not taking notice of how I can use your cero." Ichigo called out raising his voice slightly so they knew they should be listening.

"Train amongst yourselves for now I'm going to speak with Harribel." Ichigo added letting out a sigh as he disappeared using Sonído.

-OO-

A few minutes earlier Harribel was stood on her Balcony overlooking Ichigo's training of her Fracción and Zemi. She could only sigh as time and time again Ichigo used their own abilities and attacks to defeat one another. She was frustrated that they still hadn't got any better with their teamwork even from training with Ichigo.

Although the four female's teamwork was not the best they were still strong individually so she was still surprised at how easy Ichigo brushed them off. When she was training the four girls she sometimes found it quite difficult to deal with four people attacking her and had even been forced to unsheathe her Zanpakutō at one point but Ichigo hadn't even took his other hand from his pocket in the entire training session which she found remarkable.

Once again she sighed as she witnessed Ichigo throw Sung-sun into Mila-rose and then deflect the cero of Zemi into the path of Apache. She then noticed Ichigo use Sonído after talking to the others.

"They are improving individually albeit slowly and frustratingly" Ichigo's voice came from beside her as he appeared next to her letting out a frustrated sigh.

"I agree although their teamwork still hasn't improved what so ever" Harribel responded.

"It will take some time if the past few days have been any indication but they will get their eventually," Ichigo said watching Zemi and Sung-sun fight against Apache and Mila-rose, "How long till Aizen returns from Soul Society?" Ichigo then asked.

"Around a week I think but I'm unsure of the exact day. Why do you ask?" Harribel replied eyeing Ichigo.

"No reason was just thinking it's all going to change around here soon once Aizen returns. War will soon be upon us, we should prepare for it ourselves. The Shinigami will be tough opponents." Ichigo answered.

A loud yawn came from behind them before Harribel could respond as a tall man with wavy dark brown hair and a goatee took a place beside them. He wore a white jacket outlined in black with the collar upturned and a black sash in a manner similar to a matador around his waist with white gloves. The remains of his Hollow mask consisted of a fanged bottom jaw that is positioned along his neck and his Hollow hole is right underneath his mask.

"I see your finally awake Starrk, I thought you would still be sleeping." Ichigo said smiling at the newcomer who returned his smile and nodded his head.

"Ichigo, Harribel" Starrk greeted the two Espada with a nod of the head and another yawn.

"I shall take my leave and continue their training. Bye Ichigo, Starrk." Harribel said suddenly disappearing from the balcony and appearing down below.

"I hope I didn't interrupt something, she didn't seem too pleased to see me." Starrk asked lazily scratching his head.

"Nope we were just talking, I'm not sure what that was about to be honest." Ichigo answered.

"So how's the training going?" Starrk asked changing the topic.

"Same as usual. It gets boring not having someone decent to fight." Ichigo replied smiling and hoping Starrk would take his hint for a spar.

"Don't even think about it Ichigo" Starrk laughed, "You've been training them pretty serious, how soon do you think the war will come." Starrk asked another question.

"Well apparently it's a week until Aizen returns from Soul Society but I can't see anything happening till he awakens the Hōgyoku fully which I'm unsure of how long it takes but I can't see a full battle breaking out for a months." Ichigo answered.

"I agree, after talking with Aizen when he was here a few days ago he doesn't seem the type to rush things." Starrk said yawning once again.

"You tired or something Starrk?" Ichigo asked letting out a small chuckle.

"Something like that" He replied smiling slightly.

"What do you make of Aizen anyways?" Ichigo asked all of sudden turning serious which brought a serious look onto the face of Starrk.

"I'm unsure to be honest, I've only met him once but he does seem very powerful not only in strength but in mind. I'm not sure if he is genuine or not but I'm sure we'll find after he arrives from Soul Society." Starrk answered.

"I agree, he's playing a dangerous game promising Hollows a war against Shinigami. It'll be interesting to see where his loyalties really lie." Ichigo said as he watched Harribel put her Fracción and Zemi through their paces. "Maybe we should be getting ready for war ourselves. Don't you agree Starrk?" Ichigo then asked.

"Perhaps, we shouldn't be taking it easy and underestimating the Shinigami after all the some of the captains might give prove troublesome." Starrk responded however he suddenly found himself forced to draw his Zanpakutō as he collided with the Zanpakutō of Ichigo who had a huge smile on his face.

Starrk could only return the smile as they suddenly disappeared from Harribel's balcony and appeared nearby on the sands of Las Noches. This caught the attention of the five female Arrancar who had felt Ichigo's and Starrk's reiatsu fluctuate when they collided and they wondered what was going on.

Ichigo stood opposite Starrk, his long strawberry hair blowing crazily as they both raised their Reiatsu to respectable levels and to just enough that they wouldn't do any major damage to the nearby surroundings.

Everyone in Las Noches could feel the Reiatsu levels of two of the most powerful Arrancars rise and about to do battle with one another. Harribel and the others soon arrived nearby trying to see if they were just sparring or actually fighting for some reason. They were soon followed by Grimmjow who arrived as quickly as he could in anticipation of seeing two powerful people fight and then Ulquiorra who was wondering why two of Aizen's most powerful soldiers were fighting one another.

"Why the hell are they fighting" Zemi asked no one in particular slightly worried about what was happening.

"I'm not sure but this Reiatsu is awesome!" Grimmjow shouted anticipating the soon to be fight.

"I don't think Aizen-sama will be pleased to hear his two most powerful followers fighting each other." Ulquiorra added in his monotone voice.

Harribel just stood watching the situation in silence. From the looks on their faces they didn't seem to be angry with one another and they seemed to be happy that they were going to fight which meant that it was probably just a friendly spar. She could tell that from their Reiatsu as well since although it was extremely powerful it wasn't angry but more measured and hungry in anticipation. Her body suddenly felt warm as she felt Ichigo's reiatsu steadily increase. 'His reiatsu feels incredible. It feels like its wrapping around me and comforting me, how can a Hollows' reiatsu make me feel like that.'

Harribel was suddenly brought out of her thoughts as a shockwave rocked through Las Noches and blew the non Espada class Arrancar present to their feet. 'A shockwave that powerful just from their Zanpakutō clashing, maybe they are taking this more seriously then they think.'

Ichigo and Starrk had big smiles on their faces as their Zanpakutō's clashed struck one another over and over again. Starrk hadn't felt this alive in a long time and he was glad. Glad that he had met Ichigo. Glad that he now had a friend. Glad that he was no longer lonely. Ichigo was pleased that he was getting a good spar and he was enjoying it more then he thought he would and he could tell Starrk was too.

Starrk suddenly broke away from Ichigo and fired numerous Bala towards Ichigo who dodged through the use Sonído in which he reappeared behind Starrk who deflected Ichigo's blade before it could reach his neck.

"Not bad Starrk!" Ichigo called out.

"I could say the same about you" Starrk replied suddenly charging towards Ichigo with tremendous speed even without using Sonído and their Zanpakutō's collided once more.

Ichigo had lost count how many times they had collided but he knew they had been going at it for a while and he was still enjoying it. The sound of Sonído filled the air as Ichigo out distance in between Starrk and himself.

Starrk was curious as to what Ichigo was planning and he didn't have to wait long to find out as he watched Ichigo point his finger towards him and charge a huge black cero. Starrk quickly began charging a blue cero of his own from underneath his chin and fired it towards Ichigo.

The two ceros collided in mid-air producing a huge explosion which resulted in a huge shockwave which was sent through Las Noches once again but even more powerful than the first. As the dust settled both Ichigo and Starrk were stood opposite one another as big smiles covered their faces.

"That was surprisingly fun" Starrk said breaking the silence that had fallen upon the so called battlefield.

"I agree we should do it more often" Ichigo replied, "Perhaps we should greet our audience." Ichigo added turning his attention towards the watching Arrancar that had gathered.

"Indeed" Starrk responded as they made their way towards their audience.

"I see there was nothing to worry about as I first thought. Aizen-sama wouldn't be happy to find his two most powerful followers fighting one another. I wouldn't recommend fighting each other in the future if you which to stay on Aizen-sama's side." Ulquiorra was the first to talk as he narrowed his eyes towards Starrk and Ichigo. Starrk merely shrugged while Ichigo narrowed his eyes and raised his Reiatsu slightly to show he wasn't too pleased which Ulquiorra seemed to realise as he disappeared from view.

"Don't mind that miserable bastard that was awesome," Grimmjow then said "I'm outta here, if any of you guys wanna fight you know where to find me." He added with a huge grin on his face as he disappeared using Sonído.

"So I hope you ladies enjoyed it." Ichigo said with a slight smile creeping upon his face.

"What the hell Ichigo you could have at least told us it was just a spar. We worried at first when we felt your reiatsu." Zemi responded appearing angry on the outside even though she did enjoy watching Ichigo fight and getting to see Starrk fight as well.

"You're crazy if you think this lazy bastard would actually fight me for real. He would rather be in bed." Ichigo replied which got a laugh out of the females apart from Harribel while Starrk just sheepishly scratched his head.

"I thought it was awesome Kurosaki-sama!" Lilynette enthusiastically shouted with a huge smile on her face.

"How many times do I have to tell you it's just Ichigo." Ichigo sighed.

"Sorry Ichigo-sama." Lilynette replied ecstatic that she could him Ichigo.

"I agree with Lilynette," Harribel spoke for the first time since they had come over, "It was a rather impressive sight and feeling to witness to people more powerful then yourself fight one another." Harribel said glad that her collar covered most of her face as her dark cheeks grew pink as she remembered the warm feeling that Ichigo's reiatsu gave her.

"Well I'm glad we impressed but it's about time I headed back I'm starting to get tired. Goodbye Ichigo, Harribel. Let's go Lilynette." Starrk said letting out a small yawn and disappearing in a buzz of Sonído with Lilynette following close behind.

"Me and Zemi should get back as well, It's been a long day. Goodbye Tier, girls." Ichigo said nodding his head towards Harribel and her Fracción respectively and beckoning for Zemi to follow as he headed back to his palace.

-OO-

It had been a week since Ichigo had his first friendly spar with Starrk and it brought a smile to his face as he just thought about it as he once again stood on his balcony. It had been an average week in all honesty. He had trained Zemi and Harribel's Fracción a few times but apart from that nothing much had happened apart from spending time with Harribel and Starrk.

They had fought one another once more during the week and Ichigo felt very pleased with the results. It allowed him to release some built up energy and loosen himself up which he couldn't really do while training with Zemi and Harribel's Fracción. His relationship with Starrk had grown through the spars as well. He felt that they understood each other more and had grown better friends in the past week.

His relationship with Harribel hadn't really changed much If Ichigo thought correctly. He enjoyed her company but was unsure what to do next and was unsure what Harribel thought of him since he found it quite difficult reading her since he couldn't see most half of her face she often quickly changed moods depending on who was present with them.

However he knew he felt something towards her, something different from what he felt about Zemi and others he cared about and he knew that he would have to do something about it soon or it would start to eat away at him.

Ichigo's thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the palace door and Starrk stepped through with a troubled look on his face which immediately got Ichigo's attention.

"Is there a problem Starrk?" Ichigo asked.

"We need to head to Szayel's lab, I'll fill you in on the way." Starrk replied turning on his heels and exiting Ichigo's palace which Ichigo took as motion in which he was meant to follow him.

It didn't take them long to reach Szayel's lab. On the way Starrk had told him about Szayelaporro Granz, Aizen's lead scientist in Las Noches and apparent member of the Espada. He had also told him about why they had been called to his lab although there wasn't much detail apart from Aizen's plan in Soul Society had went wrong in some way and he might be in the need of assistance which is why him and Starrk were there.

Entering the lab they came across an Arrancar with pink shoulder length hair furiously typing away at a computer. Ichigo noticed his hollow mask made it look like he wore glasses and he wore a long shirt that covered his entire torso up to the top of his neck. He also had three stripes on his uniform, each starting at his collar with one running to the left side of his chest, one to the right side of his chest, and one down the middle. He wore regular pants with slight length taken away and a pair of white gloves.

"I'm glad you have arrived swiftly Kurosaki-sama, Starrk-sama" Szayel said turning his attention to Starrk and Ichigo, "I'm sure you know a little bit about why you are here. Aizen-sama's plan took an unfortunate turn and he is need of assistance. He intended to use Negación to escape Soul Society alongside Tōsen and Ichimaru however that is where the predicament arises. For some reason which Aizen-sama didn't tell me about the Negación won't arrive at the supposed time which is why you two need to go to Soul Society and assist Aizen's escape. Understand?"

Nodding their heads Szayel produced a small black object in the shape of a square from his desk and placed it on the floor. "This an object that Aizen-sama gave me, after working on it for a while I've eventually been able to get past the barrier of Seireitei but it is still a work in progress so it can only open a Garganta for a short time and requires a decent amount of Reiatsu to open."

Following Szayel's lead they began to pour their Reiatsu towards the cube and a Garganta slowly opened. When it fully opened Ichigo and Starrk quickly stepped through and made their way through heading towards the exit not knowing what was waiting for them.

As they stepped out into the sun of Soul Society the scene that greeted them was rather interesting. The strongest Shinigami stood before them. The captains of the Gotei 13 had gathered.

**Left it on a bit of a cliff-hanger but next chapter will take place in Soul Society and you will find out what has been happening there and who is the substitute Shinigami and also find out a little bit about Ichigo's story will also take a rather big turn in terms of a certain character which you will also find out about next chapter  
**


	5. Soul Society 1: Ryoka Invasion

**This is more of a filler chapter to be honest and I just wanted to give you an idea of what is happening in Soul Society and it will go through the events of the Ryoka invasion arc obviously without Ichigo. Ichigo and Starrk will not be in this chapter which is why I have decided to release it quickly after my previous chapter since it's more about what has led up to the point at the end of last chapter. I have decided to stick close to the anime at the start of the chapter but it deviates towards the end.**

"You've come 3rd division Taichō Ichimaru Gin." The booming voice of Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni filled the captains meeting hall as Ichimaru Gin stepped through the huge wooden doors and stood opposite the sitting Sōtaichō.

"What's all this? I suddenly find get called in and come to such a big old hoot'nanny. The Taichō's who run Soul Society all gathered here just for lil' old me? I guess not, I don't see the 13th division captain did something happen?" Gin spoke with his usual smile on his face even in the presence of the most powerful Shinigami in Soul Society.

"He's on sick leave." 9th division Taichō Tōsen Kaname answered.

"Again? I hope he gets well soon." Gin replied making his way to stand in the middle of the two rows of captains.

""Quit joking around. You think that's why you've been called here? You bastard, I heard you went off on your own to play with some Ryoka. Not to mention the fact that you failed to kill them. What the hell's wrong with you? Someone with your skills shouldn't break a sweat over killing four or five Ryoka." Another voice spoke out this time 11th division Taichō Zaraki Kenpachi.

He was a tall, muscular man with a long face and protruding cheekbones. He had spiky black hair with each spike ending with a bell attached. A long scar ran down the left side of his face cutting through his green eye while his other eye was covered by an eye patch.

"Oh? They ain't dead?" The smiling face of Gin turned to face Kenpachi.

"What!?" Kenpachi shouted growing frustrated with Gin's attitude.

"Well I was sure they were dead. I guess my intuition went and got dull." Gin retorted while scratching the back of his head.

"Cut the act. There's no way someone of captain class wouldn't be able to sense if he had killed someone." 12th division Taichō Kurotsuchi Mayuri spoke next. His face was painted entirely white with the inner portion painted black with the exception of his nose. His eyes are a golden colour and both his eyes seemed to be replaced by golden stubs.

"Here we go again. Another stupid fight between stupid old guys." Another voice spoke up this time that of 10th division Taichō Hitsugaya Tōshirō. He had the appearance of a young teenager with spiky white hair and turquoise eyes.

"That ain't nice. It's like you're saying I let them go on purpose." Gin continued as he scratched his neck and turned to face Kurotsuchi Mayuri.

"That is what I'm saying" the clown like Taichō responded.

"Shut up, Kurotsuchi! I'm the one talking with him now!" Kenpachi shouted as he and Kurotsuchi stepped towards one another and continued their argument seemingly forgetting where they were.

"How absurd." 2nd Division Taichō Soifon said. She was a short woman with black hair worn in two braids which each ended in two rings and had grey eyes.

"My, oh, my, so hot-blooded." Another voice spoke up this time 8th division Taichō Kyōraku Shunsui. He was a tall man with his hair tied in a long ponytail and long bangs that framed the left side of his face. He also wore a straw hat and a flamboyant pink kimono draped across his shoulders.

"Stop that! How shameful" Yamamoto's loud voice broke the argument apart and gathered the attention of everyone in the room, "but I suppose that exchange has given you the reason why you have been called here. Your recent actions and letting the targets escape, how about it? Have you any explanation Ichimaru-Taichō?"

"I do not." Gin's short reply surprised Yamamoto and a few other captains who expected him to make an excuse.

"What was that?" Yamamoto asked pushing for a proper answer.

"I don't got no explanation. It was just an absent minded mistake. I got no excuse. I'll take any punish-" Gin replied, scratching his head once again but was cut off.

"Wait a minute, Ichimaru-Taichō. Before that I want to ask you something." Aizen's voice cut Gin off as he stepped forward but before he could ask a question a loud warning rang throughout Seireitei gaining the attention of every Shinigami and alerting them to the presence of intruders.

"It's unavoidable. All captains are to head to their respective squads and issue defensive orders. You are to capture or kill any intruders you come across. I will notify you all of Ichimaru-Taichō's status after they have been dealt with. Dismissed!" Yamamoto bellowed out his orders as the captains started to make their way out of the meeting hall with Kenpachi running ahead wanting to hunt down the Ryoka.

"It seems the alarm sounds quite conveniently these days." Aizen spoke as he stopped next to Gin who was still standing in same place.

"I ain't sure I understand what you're trying to say." Gin replied, his smile never wavering.

"Do you think that excuse will work? You had best not underestimate me." Aizen warned Gin as he made his way out of the meeting hall slowly followed by Hitsugaya-Taichō who had been listening to their conversation.

-OO-

A short time later the sky of Seireitei was lit up as something seemed to collide with the barrier gaining the attention of every Shinigami including that of the prisoner Kuchiki Rukia who was sat in her cell and Zaraki Kenpachi who wanted to fight the strongest one.

Everyone was expecting the barrier to hold up and stop the intruders from getting through. The shinigami watched in surprise as the object seemed to split apart sending four lights in different directions.

-OO-

"Yahoo, man am I lucky! We were slackin off since it's too much of a hassle to get too our post but our reward drops down right in front of us. I'm lucky, I'm lucky!" Two shinigami dropped down from a nearby wall in front of the two Ryoka. The Shinigami that spoke was bald and had a red marking in the corner of his left eye while the one next to him had jaw length black hair with colourful feathers in the corners of his eyes.

Breaking out of his dance the bald Shinigami noticed one of the Ryoka running of leaving the other behind. "Hey Yumichika, get after him." With a nod of his head Yumichika quickly headed off in chase of the Ryoka. "Hey Ryoka why didn't you run with your friend? He noticed our spirit, correct?" He then asked the remaining Ryoka who had jumped out pit caused by their descent.

"Tch, If your stronger than me it would be meaningless to run and I'm not someone who likes to run away from a fight." The Ryoka replied resting her hand on the hilt of her Zanpakutō. She was a boyish looking teenager of average height with short dark spiky hair and blue eyes and she wore a normal Shinigami Shihakushō uniform with her Zanpakutō which had a silver handle hung at her side.

"I see you're not stupid after all and you have guts. What's your name Ryoka?" The bald man asked.

"My name is Arisawa Tatsuki and yours? The Ryoka now known as Tatsuki replied.

"3rd seat of the 11th division Madarame Ikkaku." Ikkaku replied.

Tatsuki suddenly found herself being forced to dodge backwards as Ikkaku's Zanpakutō collided with the ground where she once stood. Getting into a fighting stance with her Zanpakutō held one-handed she then charged at Ikkaku who easily ducked under her swing and brought his own blade towards her stomach which she deflected with her own.

Colliding blades once again Tatsuki decided to use her main strength which is Hakuda after all it wasn't common for a Shinigami to be trained by Shihōin Yoruichi. Leaning back slightly and letting Ikkaku think he was overpowering her she quickly spun past his guard making him lose balance and aimed a kick towards the back of his head. However she was disappointed to find it blocked by the sheath of Ikkaku's Zanpakutō which he held in his opposite hand.

"Not bad Ryoka, you handle yourself pretty well but don't get to confident yet." Ikkaku said as he reengaged Tatsuki who blocked his strike and once again sent a few kicks towards him which were easily blocked by his sheath. Charging at each other once again they both managed to get past each other's defences as blood fell to the ground as they disengaged from one another. Both fighters sported small cuts above their eye as blood trickled down their faces.

"Your too good to be written off as an amateur, it's obvious you've had some sort of training. Who's your master Tatsuki?" Ikkaku asked as he covered his wound with some kind of healing ointment which brought an angry look from Tatsuki.

"Well I don't think he could be classed as my master per say but he did give my powers back and teach me a bit about fighting which I'm grateful for. His name is Urahara Kisuke. However the person that taught me Hakuda and Shunpo in ten days is Shihōin Yoruichi." Tatsuki answered which brought a shocked look from Ikkaku.

"I see, learning from them means that I shouldn't hold back. Allow me to show you my Shikai," Slamming the hilt of his Zanpakutō against his sheath he then shouted, "Grow, Hōzukimaru!" His weapon was engulfed in a bright light and when it dissipated his Zanpakutō was now in the shape of a spear with a wax wood shaft.

Before Tatsuki could say anything she was suddenly forced to bring up her own Zanpakutō to block the spear of Ikkaku. Blocking the spear a few more times Tatsuki found herself being pushed back since he had activated his Shikai. 'Damn it, looks like I shouldn't underestimate him. I suppose I'll have to activate my Shikai.'

Tatsuki was suddenly brought out of her thoughts as they were in a deadlock trying to overpower one another which Ikkaku was starting to win he suddenly shouted something out. "Split, Hōzukimaru!"

This caught Tatsuki by surprise as his spear suddenly broke into three pieces each connected by a chain and she suddenly found herself forced to dodge as a section of Hōzukimaru flew past her. Barely managing to dodge she realised that she hadn't dodged it fully and she had received a cut to her side from where she wasn't fast enough.

"Dammit. That's a pretty nasty weapon you have their. I guess I shouldn't take you easy." Tatsuki said as she moved her hand to cover her wound.

"Did you really think you could invade Seireitei and succeed in whatever you're trying to do by underestimating your opponent? It's a pretty rookie mistake to make." Ikkaku responded.

"You're right Madarame Ikkaku. Perhaps it's time I showed you my Shikai." Tatsuki retorted which brought a smile out of Ikkaku as he prepared to see Tatsuki's Shikai.

"Pummel, Hagane Aijin!" Tatsuki shouted as she placed both hands on the handle of her Zanpakutō and her arms were engulfed and weapon were engulfed in a blinding light which force Ikkaku to look away. As the light receded Tatsuki's Zanpakutō had disappeared and she now wore elegant steel gauntlets on both hands that stretched the length of her arm up to her elbow.

"Not bad Ryoka! Now show me what you got!" Ikkaku called out but quickly moved his head to the side and barely dodged the steel clad fist of Tatsuki that whizzed past his head and she quickly jumped back before he could retaliate. Blood slowly began to trickle down the side of his head as he reached up to feel a large cut. 'I thought I dodged! And she was so fast even without Shunpo.' Ikkaku thought to himself.

"Even you're wondering what happened let me tell me you. My reiatsu is sharpened around the around my hands which means even if I don't hit you there's still a chance that it will cut you and it's not the only thing it does. My Shikai also increases my speed greatly which is what you just witnessed." Tatsuki explained as she got into a fighting stance once more.

Charging at each other once again Tatsuki found herself back on level terms with Ikkaku once more since activating her Shikai and she felt that she might even be stronger than him. Throwing punches and kicks towards Ikkaku she felt herself quickly start to get the best over him. He had numerous cuts on his body from where she had gotten close to landing a hit and she knew he would have at least a few broking bones from the few punches that she did land. Her own body was fairing much better as she hadn't been cut since the start of the fight.

'I guess I need to end this soon If I want to find Chad, Inoue and Ishida. I'll put it all on a last attack.' Tatsuki thought to herself as she charged towards Ikkaku for the final time. Holding out Hōzukimaru in a defensive position Ikkaku prepared hold back Tatsuki once more but found himself surprised as her punch seemed to have even more power than he thought behind it and wooden handle of Hōzukimaru snapped into pieces and a blinding pain shot through his body as Tatsuki's steel fist smashed into his chest and he collapsed to his knees.

Ikkaku knew he had lost and his life was now in the hands of opponent as he closed his eyes and waited for the killing blow to come. He was surprised to hear footsteps leading away from where he lay and opening his eyes he spotted the retreating figure of Tatsuki.

"Finish it Arisawa Tatsuki! it'll be a disgrace if you don't finish it now. The battle is only over when the opposition is dead. I can't go back to the 11th division knowing you let me live." Ikkaku called out which made Tatsuki stop in her tracks.

"Shut up idiot! Be glad that you're given another chance to fight, that's if you even survive long enough for someone to help you before you bleed out from all those cuts. Now you've got my attention perhaps you could answer a question." Tatsuki said as she turned back to face Ikkaku who still lay on the ground unable to move.

"Tch what sort of question. You wanna know my birthday?" Ikkaku replied smiling slightly

"Where is Kuchiki Rukia being held?" Tatsuki asked.

"If you head south from here you'll come across the location of the offices of the Gotei 13. A huge white stands in the middle, she should be in there. It shouldn't be too hard to miss." Ikkaku answered which brought a shocked look from Tatsuki who wasn't expecting him to actually answer and she turned away and started to head south.

"Hey! Before you leave let me warn ya. Be careful of my division Taichō, if you're the strongest in your group then he'll be after you and won't stop till he gets to fight ya." Ikkaku called out before he closed his eyes and slipped into unconsciousness.

"Thanks" Tatsuki responded once again starting to head south leaving behind Ikkaku to the help of the incoming Shinigami she could sense coming from the opposite direction.

-OO-

The following day in Soul Society a scream could be heard throughout Seireitei as numerous Shinigami all with badges around their arm stood in front of a tall building all with horrified looks in their faces.

"Taichō…Aizen Taichō…no…no. Aizen Taichō!" One shouted as she dropped to her knees not believing what she saw in front of her. The body of Aizen was high up on the wall with a Zanpakutō ran through it as a trail of blood reached all the way to the floor.

-OO-

"I've just received news," a female Shinigami said as she slid open the wooden door to her captain's office. However today it wasn't just her own captain she was talking to but three current captains and two ex-captains, even as a lieutenant herself she still found it rather intimidating speaking to this many higher ups even after being one for so long, "Aizen's body has just been found. He was apparently stabbed through with a Zanpakutō." She finished speaking and took a seat at the table.

"Hmmm, it seems his plan is finally in motion. It's time we got to work doing our part and start getting more people into our plan." A man with messy light brown hair which was mostly covered by a weird hat spoke in an excited tone which didn't seem to match the situation they were currently in.

-OO-

Tatsuki was now heading straight for the white tower where Rukia was being held alongside Shiba Ganju after they had been reunited after her fight with Ikkaku and Yamada Hanatarō who they had come across while he was being threatened by fellow Shinigami. After finding out he was part of the 4th division which specialised in healing, Tatsuki had got him to heal their wounds which came in handy after her fight with Abarai Renji since she had received some serious wounds.

Suddenly a crushing Reiatsu pressed down upon them stopping them in their tracks. It seemed the air itself was distorting under the pressure and Tatsuki was having a bad feeling about what was to come.

"This Reiatsu, I would recognise it anywhere. We need to get out if here." The shaky voice of Hanatarō could barely be heard as he was feeling the pressure.

"You two go ahead and rescue Rukia, I'll hold whoever it is off and give you a chance." Tatsuki spoke up in a tone that wouldn't take no for an answer and they both understood as they ran off in the direction of Rukia leaving Tatsuki to face whoever was behind this insane Reiatsu.

A few minutes passed and the person in possession of the crushing Reiatsu eventually came into view. The bells on his spiky hair ringing in the wind as he made his way towards Tatsuki. His muscly figure covered in a sleeveless white haori which showed the fact that he was a captain and he held his Zanpakutō across his shoulder.

"You sure that was a good idea letting your friends leave you here. I would have preferred taking you all on at the same time." Kenpachi spoke up breaking the silence.

"Who says you'll get past me in the first place. I'll give them enough time to rescue Rukia." Tatsuki then said resting her hand on the hilt of her Zanpakutō.

"I couldn't care less as to what they are doing. You're the strongest in your little group so I just want to fight you and I'll let someone else handle them." Zaraki responded with a huge grin on his face.

"I guess we should just get to it then," Tatsuki said as she unsheathed her Zanpakutō, "Pummel, Hagane Aijin!" Tatsuki called out activating her Shikai.

"Your Reiatsu ain't to bad Ryoka. Before we begin let me tell you my name. 11th division Taichō Zaraki Kenpachi." Kenpachi called out as he held his jagged edged Zanpakutō out in front of him.

"Arisawa Tatsuki." Tatsuki responded as she charged towards Kenpachi who easily blocked her punch. Punch after Punch Kenpachi easily dodged and he had come close to cutting into her with his own Zanpakutō. Using Shunpo to gain distance from Kenpachi, Tatsuki decided to try something different, Kidō. She had only been taught a few spells from Urahara but she thought it was rather powerful and gave her an extra option in battle. Pointing her hand out towards Kenpachi she then began the incantation.

"Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! Inferno and pandemonium, the sea barrier surges, march on to the south! Hadō no.31 Shakkahō!" Tatsuki called out as a crimson orb began to form in the palm of her hand it fired as a crimson blast engulfed Kenpachi.

Tatsuki was soon surprised the looming figure of Kenpachi suddenly charged out of the smoke and headed straight for her aiming to take her head off. Barely blocking his blade with her steel covered arm it gave her an opportunity to take in the damage her spell had done. To say she was disappointed was an understatement. The only damage that it had caused was that of a burnt haori and a slight burn mark on his muscly chest.

"Tch, I thought you would give me a proper fight especially with a shikai like that but instead you just end up using pansy Kidō." Kenpachi called out as he aimed another strike at Tatsuki's head which she managed to block and send an angry fist towards Kenpachi's stomach which landed and caused him to bend over seemingly in pain.

Tatsuki's joy was short lived as Kenpachi looked up with an even bigger smile on his face. "That's what I'm talking about Tatsuki! You're eventually getting somewhere." Kenpachi laughed bringing his Zanpakutō down upon Tatsuki who managed to jump away as the ground where she once stood smashed from the connection.

"You're insane! I thought I enjoyed fighting but you different thing all together." Tatsuki called out jumping away from Kenpachi once again as the wall behind was cut in two by his Zanpakutō. Using Shunpo Tatsuki appeared behind Kenpachi hoping to catch him off guard with a kick to the back of his head however she had severely underestimated the captain as he grabbed her foot before it could connect and threw her into a nearby wall.

"Is that you all you got Tatsuki. Tch, maybe your friends will give me more of a challenge." Kenpachi called out as Tatsuki got to her feet with an angry look on her face.

"Crush him, Aijin!" Tatsuki suddenly punched the ground surprising Kenpachi as two steel spikes came from the ground in front and behind him forcing him to jump out of the way or risk being crushed.

"Not bad! I knew you had some more tricks up your sleeve." Kenpachi said facing Tatsuki who was now on her feet.

Thirty minutes later Tatsuki found herself stood opposite the imitating figure of Kenpachi. Cut after cut layered her body but Kenpachi was in no better condition. He didn't seem to have as many cuts as she did but she knew he would have some internal wounds that might be giving him trouble.

They had both decided to end it in a final blow since they both knew that they could no longer fight on any longer. After talking with Zanpakutō spirit and convincing her to lend Tatsuki her power Tatsuki's reiatsu had risen considerably alerting a lot of nearby people to her fight with Kenpachi. She now stood covered in a ball of grey Reiatsu as her gauntlets glowed with the power she was possessing.

However Tatsuki found herself rather surprised as Kenpachi's reiatsu suddenly increased even more overtaking hers in strength. However she knew she couldn't give up and they suddenly charged at one another however her world suddenly went black as she fell to the floor.

"Huh, who the hell are you! Interrupting my fight like that." Kenpachi shouted as he suddenly stopped in front of Tatsuki who had just been knocked unconscious by the newcomer.

"She's needed for something else and so are you Zaraki Kenpachi and my name is Shihōin Yoruichi by the way. Yoruichi said her usual smile on her face as she didn't seem intimidated by the presence of an angry Kenpachi.

"Tch I recognise your name but I don't really care who you are, you interrupted my fight before it could end. Now who am I going to fight?" Kenpachi bellowed, seemingly starting to lose patience with Yoruichi.

"You hadn't even removed your eye patch yet Kenpachi, you would have easily defeated her if you did. However I might have something you will be interested in. It will mean getting to fight more people." Yoruichi then said as she picked Tatsuki up onto her shoulder.

"If it means more fighting then I'm interested. What do I have to do and you better not be playing around with me or I'll be fighting you next." Kenpachi asked a grin creeping upon his face at the prospect of more fights.

"Head to Ukitake-Taicho's office and you'll be filled in there but first I would get yourself cleaned up at the 4th division." Yoruichi answered as she suddenly disappeared in a flash of Shunpo taking Tatsuki with her as a flash of pink suddenly found its way to Kenpachi's shoulder.

"Let's go Kenny!" A loud childlike voice came from his shoulder.

"Yachiru." Kenpachi responded as he headed off in the direction of the 4th division barracks.

-OO-

Sado Yasutora otherwise known as Chad found himself stood across from what seemed like a very powerful Shinigami captain, if his white haori was anything to go by, who was sat on the floor opposite him.

"Can I interest you in some sake?" Kyōraku asked as pulled out a jar from his sleeve and shook it invitingly silently hoping Chad would take him up on his offer. Normally he would've of at least arrested the Ryoka but he was to play a part in the coming days.

"Sorry but I can't do that." Chad responded.

"Oh and why's that, I can assure you we are all friends here." Kyōraku said taking a sip of sake.

Suddenly Chad felt Tatsuki's Reiatsu increases significantly and another Reiatsu increase even greater then hers nearby. As quickly as it had risen her reiatsu suddenly weakened, not enough to mean she had died but enough to know that she was in a weak state. "Sorry Taichō but I'm going to have to ask you to move." Chad said hoping he wouldn't have to fight a captain.

"Sorry but I can't do that but I can assure you your friend is fine." Kyōraku replied. 'I'm glad Yoruichi got their in time otherwise Zaraki-Taichō would have actually killed her. Hopefully she can convince him to join our plan.'

"Sorry but I don't believe you. If you won't move then I'll go through you. Brazo Derecha de Gigante" Chad called out as his right arm transformed into a black armour like substance with red lines covering the full length of it.

'I guess I'll have to just take him to Jūshirō's and they can help convince him.' Kyōraku suddenly appeared behind Chad who hadn't even seen him move and knocked him out cold with a chop to the back of his neck.

-OO-

Chad suddenly awoke and sat up taking in his surroundings. He lay in single bed in a smallish room which had a window looking out over a beautiful garden. He suddenly remembered how he had come to be in this position having been easily knocked out by the captain and he wondered if he now a prisoner but quickly got rid of that thought as he didn't seem to be in a cell or have anything to stop him using his power.

Heading over to the wooden door at the far end of the room he slowly stepped through and entered the next room. The room was larger than the room he had just came from and had a large desk at one end that seemed to be covered in paper.

Chad was suddenly broke out of his thoughts as a female voice came from behind him. Turning around to see who it was that had spoken he noticed she was of average height with shoulder length black hair that hung around her face and she also had dark grey eyes and wore a normal Shinigami Shihakushō with her Zanpakutō hanging at her side but had a badge wrapped around her left arm.

"I see you're awake. Take a seat, the others will be here soon and I'm sure you'll be interested to hear what they say. I suppose I should introduce myself. 13th division Fukutaichō Kurosaki Karin."

**Part one of Soul Society completed and part two will come soon which will see the return of Ichigo. I hope you like Tatsuki's shikai and she will also be learning Bankai in the same way Ichigo did in the anime/manga. She will be strong but not as strong as the higher members of the Espada and captains. You also got a slight look at how Ichigo's family is different from the anime/manga.**


	6. Soul Society 2: Plans Revealed

**I am really grateful for the reviews, favourites and follows. For those wondering what is happening with Karin you will find out about Ichigo's family and who he was before he became a hollow in future chapters so please be patient.**

**This chapter is a continuation on what has been happening in Soul Society.**

**I realised I forgot to mention Tatsuki's Shikai translation at the end of my last chapter. It translates to Steel Mistress. **

"My name is Sado Yasutora." Sado said in his usual deep voice, nodding his head in greeting towards Karin.

"I know who you are Ryoka. You're probably wondering why you're here and not locked in some cell somewhere. Don't worry, you'll have your answers soon enough." Karin responded noticing the confused look on Sado's face.

Karin immediately snapped to attention as the wooden door leading into the office suddenly slid open and five shinigami stepped through. Chad immediately recognised the white haori's that were worn by four of the five which signalled their position of captain and he also recognised two faces. One was the captain that he had confronted before finding himself here and the other was the person who had found a way for them to enter Soul Society.

"Urahara!?" Chad suddenly called out rather surprised at seeing the eccentric candy shop owner here in Soul Society amongst captains.

"Ah it's nice of you to join us Sado." Urahara replied in an upbeat tone, his usual fan held in front of his face. He wore his usual black coat, which sports a white diamond pattern along its bottom half, with a dark green shirt and pants underneath. His usual green and white striped hat sat upon his head and a pair of wooden sandals.

"You can relax Karin. How many times have I told you to stop acting so serious around here? You've been my fukutaichō for a long time now." The captain that had entered the room first spoke up with a cheery tone and bright smile on his face. He had hair long white hair which almost reached his waist and he wore it parted on the left side with one long piece that fell over his right eye.

"Sorry taichō. Just habit is all." Karin responded relaxing slightly.

Suddenly Urahara stuck out his arms in front of him, his palms flat and muttered something under his breath as a bright light shone in front of his hands as a barrier seemed to form around the room. "Now we can have our little meeting without the risk of eavesdropping." Urahara then said.

"Perhaps we should introduce ourselves for the Ryoka. I am 4th division taichō Unohana Retsu." The female captain spoke up. She was a slender, blue-eyed woman with long black hair that she kept in a large braid down her front.

"My name is Kyōraku Shunsui, taichō of the 8th division. We've already met." Kyōraku introduced himself next tilting his straw hat with a sheepish grin on his face and producing a bottle of sake and a cup from his Shihakushō.

"Zaraki Kenpachi, 11th division taichō. Now when am I getting to fight someone." Kenpachi spoke next as leant against the wall with an irritated look on his face.

"Now now Zaraki-taichō all will be explained soon. It's a pleasure to meet you Sado I am Ukitake Jūshirō, taichō of the 13th division and this here is my fukutaichō Kurosaki Karin but she's probably already introduced herself." Ukitake said as he took a seat at his desk.

"We should get a move on, certain people might get suspicious if we all hang around each other for too long. Plus my Nanao is waiting for me." Kyōraku spoke up as he sat down near the desk of Ukitake.

"Wait why aren't your own fukutaichō's here. I'm here after all and is Yoruichi not meant to be here." Karin said wondering why she was allowed to be here.

"Ah well I saw fit to include you in our plan considering you are good friends with Rukia and I know you believed her execution was unjust. You're also the strongest Fukutaichō apart from Sasakibe-fukutaichō after all and will be able to handle yourself if something happens." Ukitake replied in his usual cheery voice which brought a nod from Karin.

"And Yoruichi is currently training Tatsuki so she is unable to be here but she has been filled in on what we will discuss." Urahara filled Karin in.

"Wait! Tatsuki is ok?" Chad asked hoping his friend was fine.

"Of course she's ok. That damn bitch Yoruichi interrupted our fight! Now somebody better hurry up and tell me who I'm gonna fight." Kenpachi answered in own aggressive manner.

"I suppose I should fill you two in one what is going on. Obviously you are both aware of the impending execution of Kuchiki Rukia but that is not the main problem we face. Somebody is moving behind the shadows and that somebody is Aizen Sōsuke." Urahara began his usual grin absent from his face showing his serious side.

"Bullshit! Aizen is dead. Everyone knows that." Kenpachi called out.

"That is where you are mistaken Zaraki-taichō," Unohana cut in "after Urahara had told me to recheck the body for specific signs I was rather surprised by what it was I found. The body is a fake, an illusion perhaps but a very good one at that. So good in fact that I missed it on the first autopsy I performed." She continued.

"So why the hell didn't you tell the old man and get him to handle it." Kenpachi argued, starting to get frustrated with what was going on.

"At first it was something we considered however Aizen is not working alone. Ichimaru-taichō and Tosen-taichō are the ones I know about but there might be others. Another problem we have is that of central 46, lately their decisions have been rather curious leading me to suspect they are corrupted and Aizen has a part to play in it. After all why order an execution using the Sōkyoku just for protecting a human and over staying in the human world. It all seems rather strange." Urahara continued his explanation.

"If we involve Yama-jii at the present time then no doubt he will take it to central 46 and with the current invasion of Ryoka we don't want to add even more panic amongst the Gotei 13 accusing people of being traitors and taichō's no less." Kyōraku added his insight from where he sat.

"Yeah yeah I see where you're coming from but just hurry up and tell me what to do. If you want me to fight the three bastards then just say so already." Kenpachi replied, calming down slightly after hearing the explanation.

"I would also like to hear what my part is. After all I'm meant to be your enemy." Chad suddenly spoke up gaining the attention of the rest of the room.

"Of course Zaraki-taichō and Chad allow me to tell you the next part of our plan. It is….." Urahara said as he popped open his trusty fan in front of his face to add to the suspense, "to do nothing!"

"Huh!?" Kenpachi responded while Chad gained a questioning look on his face and even Karin was quite surprised at that.

"Well when I say do nothing what I really mean is you are to react to Aizen's plan as it unfolds." Urahara continued in a cheery tone which didn't really suit the current situation.

"What the hell kind of plan is that. You're saying we just sit around and wait for Aizen to do whatever the hell he wants." Kenpachi then said, his anger starting to bubble once more.

"Kind of, what I want you to do Sado is continue you with your objective of rescuing Rukia like nothing has changed but I want you to meet up with your friends Inoue Orihime and Ishida Uryū. That is where you come in Zaraki-taichō since Inoue and Ishida are currently locked up in a cell alongside Shiba Ganju. After all Ishida defeated 12th division taichō, Kurotsuchi Mayuri, he's lucky he's not dead. You are to help them escape which will no doubt bring out Tōsen with his wayward sense of justice and it will give you a reason to engage him in battle." Urahara explained their parts of the plan.

"As long as it gives me the chance to fight one of those bastards it's fine by me." Kenpachi replied suddenly perking up at the chance to fight while Chad only nodded his head in agreement with the plan.

"You sure it's a good idea to let Aizen continue moving behind the shadows, Urahara. No doubt he has it all planned out, what makes you think we can stop him if it gets too far." Ukitake questioned.

"Don't worry Ukitake I have my own thoughts on what Aizen is ultimately planning and I have been working on something rather important these past few days. As long as Aizen doesn't get suspicious then it should all work out. Now I believe you three know what to do," Urahara said pointing at Ukitake, Kyōraku and Unohana, "and I'll let you brief Karin, Ukitake."

"Yes we understand our roles however it's about time we get back to what we were doing previously otherwise people might wonder where we are." Unohana said getting to her feet and heading towards the door.

"Agreed, now remember everyone. Aizen cannot suspect a thing otherwise who knows what he'll do." Urahara said as he removed the Kidō from the room and followed the other occupants through the door and set off towards his secret cave.

-OO-

Two days had passed since the secret meeting between Urahara, Sado and certain Shinigami and the day of Rukia's execution had come.

Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni lent on his trusty cane that held his Zanpakutō on the Sōkyoku Hill in the centre of Seireitei. He wondered why there was such a poor show at the execution of Kuchiki Rukia and wondered what most of the captains were doing that would keep them from attending an execution. His trusted lieutenant Sasakibe Chōjirō stood close behind him. Sasakibe had a wise look about him with his short silver hair and handlebar moustache.

The other Shinigami that were currently present were Lieutenant Kotetsu Isane lieutenant of the 4th division without her captain. Isane was a tall woman with short silver hair that had a few long strands that fell to the right of her face.

Soifon stood opposite next to Isane with her own lieutenant Ōmaeda Marechiyo standing next to her. He was a tall, large man with short black hair and a noble look about him.

Next in the line and standing next to Unohana were Kyōraku Shunsui and his lieutenant Nanao Ise. She was a young and rather attractive female with black hair that she had held back. Her blue eyes were covered with a pair of glasses giving her the look of an attractive secretary.

'Such a poor show. Perhaps this proves my suspicions that there is something bigger going on in Seireitei then just a Ryoka invasion.' Yamamoto thought to himself as he stroked his long white beard and turned his attention towards Kuchiki Rukia.

However before he could speak he sensed another captain take his place in line, 6th division captain Kuchiki Byakuya however he was without his lieutenant Abarai Renji. Byakuya had long black hair and grey eyes. He wore a white headpiece that signalled his nobility and position as head of the Kuchiki clan. He also wore an elegant white scarf which had been passed down from generation to generation of Kuchiki clan heads.

"Bro...ther." Yamamoto heard Rukia whisper to herself as she noticed her older brother take his position in line.

"Kuchiki Rukia, do you have any last words?" Yamamoto asked managing to be heard over the howling wind.

"I have one last request. Please have mercy on the Ryoka that have come to rescue me and send them back to the Human world." Rukia answered putting on the strongest voice she could muster.

"As you wish, we will send the invading Ryoka back to the human world after this is over." Yamamoto then said.

"How cruel, he has no intentions to honour her wish." Isane said more to herself then anyone in particular with a sad look on her face.

"It is not cruel at all Isane. Yamamoto-sōtaichō is putting her soul at ease before her execution." Unohana said, surprising Isane as Unohana took her place next to her lieutenant.

"Unohana-taichō, where have you been all this time?" Isane responded.

"If the end is ultimately unavoidable, to at least… go without even a slight bit of doubt… to at least… go even a bit more peacefully. Yamamoto-sōtaichō is showing mercy." Unohana continued.

"Release the Sōkyoku!" The booming shout of the captain-commander could be heard by everyone on the hill as the Sōkyoku blade was suddenly covered in a blue reiatsu which shot into the sky alerting everyone in Seireitei to its presence. Three glowing boxes rose from the ground in front of Rukia, two covering her hands and one covered her feet as she was lifted into the air.

Suddenly a bright flame engulfed the Sōkyoku and it rose into the air before revealing the true form of the Sōkyoku. "Ki-Kou-Ou! Behold the true form of the Sōkyoku's blade and the final enforcer of the death penalty. When he pierces the criminal the execution will be over." The voice of Yamamoto could still be heard over the roaring flames that made up the Sōkyoku true form.

It suddenly shot towards Rukia intending on the fulfilling the death penalty however surprised looks fell upon everyone apart from Yamamoto, Kyōraku and Unohana. A female figure stood in front of the Sōkyoku blocking it with her Zanpakutō as she faced Rukia.

"Tatsuki! Is that really you?" Rukia called out surprised at what was occurring in front of her.

"Of course it's me Rukia who else is gonna save your ass." Tatsuki replied with her usual smirk but soon found herself off balance as the Sōkyoku pulled back ready for another strike. However it was suddenly stopped in its tracks as a rope wrapped around its neck surprising most of the Shinigami present even more as everyone turned to face the newcomer.

"Ukitake-taichō!" Came the shocked cry of Isane.

"Yo Casanova! What took you so long?" Kyōraku called out as he appeared next to Ukitake who had just turned up with an object that looked like a shield.

"Sorry, it took longer than I thought. But now we're good to go." Ukitake replied.

"That's the Shihōin clan seal! Stop them, they plan on destroying the Sōkyoku!" Soifon shouted however no could react as the two captain's suddenly drew one of their blades and stabbed it into the shield causing the ropes to light up and the Sōkyoku suddenly exploded.

" Now it's time to get you out of here Rukia so hold still." Tatsuki said as she jumped onto the Sōkyoku stand and suddenly stabbed her Zanpakutō straight into the stand and it smashed into pieces covering her and Rukia in smoke and dust. As the dust cleared Tatsuki stood on top of one of the remaining pieces of the stand with Rukia kneeling beside her.

Suddenly another scuffle got everyone's attention as the guards that had escorted Rukia were sent to the ground and Abarai Renji stood panting heavily. He had long red hair that he held in a high ponytail with a bandana wrapped around his head and tribal tattoos could be seen on his upper body.

"'Bout time you got here Renji. I was starting to think you had chickened out" Tatsuki began as she then used Shunpo to appear next to him taking Rukia with her, "Now hurry up and take her. I'll hold these guys off so you two can get out of here and I have a bone to pick with one these bastards." She finished not taking her eyes of Kuchiki Byakuya

After a moment of arguing Renji finally gave and scooped up Rukia and set off away from Sōkyoku Hill. "What are you standing around for?! Get after them!" Soifon cried out as she ordered the lieutenants to charge after Renji however Tatsuki stood in their way.

"Pierce, Gonryōmaru." Sasakibe called out as he neared Tatsuki who had since sheathed her sword since destroying the Sōkyoku stand and had not moved since ordering Renji to leave. His Zanpakutō had transformed into an elegant rapier.

"Crush, Gegetsuburi!" Ōmaeda shouted as he joined Sasakibe in activating his Shikai which had turned into a spiked ball that similar to a flail that had a metal chain attached to the hilt of his Zanpakutō.

"Run, Itegumo." Isane then called out activating her Shikai which changed her katana to have two small blades protruding from its hilt.

Ōmaeda suddenly found himself in a world of pain as the large spiked ball he held in his hand suddenly smashed and the fist of Tatsuki slammed into his stomach, suddenly dodging the stab of Sasakibe she sent a fast and high kick to the side of his head sending him to the ground and Isane was shocked as Tatsuki appeared in front of her had sent a painful punch to her stomach knocking the wind out of her.

Tatsuki suddenly drew her Zanpakutō as she felt the presence of Byakuya come closer to her and he suddenly slammed into her Zanpakutō with his own. "I can see you, Kuchiki Byakuya!" Tatsuki shouted with a devilish smirk on her face while Byakuya's eyes narrowed in disgust.

"Why? Why do you repeatedly try to save Rukia?" Byakuya asked, their blades still locked together.

"She saved not only my life but my family's life. I owe her my life. Anyways, aren't you her brother? It should be you rescuing her not me!" Tatsuki answered with an angry look on her face.

"How absurd. Even if the likes of you knew the answer, by no means could you understand. It seems further talk will be useless. Let's begin." Byakuya responded increasing his reiatsu and putting more pressure on Tatsuki's Zanpakutō. However Tatsuki suddenly pushed back as she increased her own reiatsu and as their blades collided the ground around them cracked and dust kicked up and covered the battleground around them as they jumped away from one another.

As Tatsuki examined her surroundings she realised most of the Shinigami had left the hill only Unohana remained for a short time before taking off with the injured Lieutenants. She had seen Yoruichi attack the small female captain and the two captains that had destroyed the Sōkyoku had disappeared along with the captain-commander.

"There is no longer any path, save one, for me to take. Arisawa Tatsuki, I will kill you and I shall execute Rukia with my own hand." Byakuya said as he stared down Tatsuki who just grinned in response.

"Sorry but I ain't gonna let ya." Tatsuki responded getting into a fighting stance as both combatants suddenly charged one another, their blades colliding once again. Collision after collision the ground around them cracked as neither could find a way past each other's defences for the time being.

Blocking Byakuya's Zanpakutō once again Tatsuki suddenly used Shunpo to appear behind Byakuya and send a ferocious kick to the back of his head however he dodged and she barely managed to bring her own Zanpakutō up to block the swing of Byakuya which would have sliced her in half.

"This is getting us nowhere. Perhaps it's time we upped the game Kuchiki Byakuya. Show me you Bankai so I can crush it before your very eyes." Tatsuki called out as they both jumped away from each other.

"My Bankai? You're a hundred years too early to witness my Bankai fool. I will crush you with my Shikai. Scatter, Senbonzakura." Byakuya finished as the blade of his sword suddenly dissolved and turned into hundreds of tiny blade fragments which resembled cherry blossoms.

Tatsuki suddenly found the need to Shunpo away as the area where she once stood was engulfed by Byakuya's Shikai. Quickly using Shunpo to charge towards him, Tatsuki suddenly found her path blocked once again by the deadly cherry blossoms as she was forced on to the back foot. However she soon spotted an opportunity and using Shunpo she appeared behind Byakuya and brought her Zanpakutō down towards his back but was left frustrated once again as the cherry blossoms came to the defence of their master.

"Tch, this is annoying, I guess I shouldn't try and take on a taichō without using my Shikai" Tatsuki began as she Shunpoed away from Byakuya. "Pummel, Hagane Aijin!" Tatsuki called out as she activated her shikai.

Tatsuki easily dodged the blossoms of Senbonzakura once activating her Shikai due to the increase in speed it gave her and she easily got into close range of Byakuya and threw a deadly punch aimed at his shoulder. This time Byakuya barely dodged as the steel fist of Tatsuki clipped the top of his shoulder as he Shunpoed away clutching his bleeding shoulder.

"I see, your Shikai makes the area around act like an invisible blade which allows it to cut things it would otherwise miss. Impressive but still not enough to defeat me." Byakuya said as he faced Tatsuki, his shoulder dripping blood onto the ground beneath him.

"Tch, if I was you I would hurry up and bring out that Bankai of yours otherwise I might just kill ya." Tatsuki taunted.

"If it's your wish to be destroyed by my Bankai then so be it. Burn the sight of my Bankai into your eyes" Byakuya begun as the blossoms of his shikai reformed his usual blade and he held it facing towards the ground at arm's length and suddenly dropped it. Tatsuki was surprised to see it sink into the ground instead of getting stuck and it disappeared before huge blades grew out of the ground behind Byakuya and they exploded into thousands of tiny but deadly blades that, like his Shikai, gave the impression that they were cherry blossoms. "Bankai, Senbonzakura Kageyoshi."

Tatsuki suddenly shunpoed away from where she was standing as the cherry blossoms smashed into the ground where she once stood. She was forced to Shunpo again and again as the cherry blossoms seemed come from every angle and it made it difficult for her to get in a proper attack on Byakuya who hadn't moved since activating his Bankai.

"Crush him, Aijin!" Tatsuki suddenly punched the ground with both hands as Byakuya was force to Shunpo away from where he once stood as two steel spikes shot up from the ground and smashed into each other in the place where Byakuya once stood. However he once again found himself on the move as spike after spike shot up where landed as Tatsuki punched the ground multiple times.

Tatsuki soon found herself having to go on the defensive once more as attack after attack of blossoms forced her to up into the air and she soon found herself in a precarious position as she was surrounded on every side by the deadly cherry blossoms. The blossoms closed in around her crushing her into the ground beneath her as dust kicked up covering her from the view of Byakuya.

As the dust settled Byakuya eventually laid eyes on Tatsuki and could she had been injured from the blood that dripped down her arm and chest as she knelt in the crater that had resulted from her fall. "Dammit, I guess your Bankai was too much for me after all huh. I guess it makes sense after all. Trying to beat a Bankai while I'm still on my Shikai. Guess I was too cocky." Tatsuki said as she held her shook in her hand from the pain.

"Be careful of your words. It very nearly sounds as though you have reached Bankai." Byakuya replied as his eyes narrowed.

"Yeah, that's exactly what I'm saying Kuchiki Byakuya!" Tatsuki called out with a wide grin on her face despite the pain she was in. "Even if you don't believe my words, you'll believe your own eyes right Byakuya?" She continued.

Tatsuki's reiatsu began to increase steadily as she rose to her feet and as she pointed her fists to the sky she was engulfed in a tower of grey reiatsu that reached the sky of Soul Society. The figure of Tatsuki suddenly started glow brightly in the middle of the Reiatsu and as the Reiatsu suddenly disappeared sending a gust of wind across the Sōkyoku hill Tatsuki was revealed.

"Bankai, Hagane Aijin Sōzetsu Yoroi."(Steel Armour, Fierce Mistress) Tatsuki called out as Byakuya got a good look at her bankai. Tatsuki now stood covered from head to toe in silver steel armour that seemed to be moulded to fit her body perfectly acting like a second layer of skin. Her helmet was in the shape of a female face with the only gap in the armour being where her eyes were.

"What is that? Something that small… is a Bankai? I see, be it the execution or the Bankai I can see you have quite the fondness for trampling upon our pride. Therefore, I shall carve into your body the lesson of what penance is exacted for soiling another's pride." Byakuya called out in anger

He then sent another wave of petals towards Tatsuki who still hadn't moved and the petals smashed into her however Tatsuki seemed to shatter and Byakuya's eyes widened in disbelief as he felt a slight cut on his throat and as he looked down he so Tatsuki bent down with her fist inches from his neck and she suddenly reappeared where she once stood.

"Why did you not follow through with your attack? You could have ended it right there." Byakuya spoke once more.

"'Our pride' huh? It seems that your pride is linked in with killing Rukia. Then I shall trample on your pride like you said if that's what it takes." Tatsuki replied her face unreadable behind her helmet.

"Do not underestimate me. To do so will be your greatest mistake. I will say again that what you have there is not a Bankai. A mere Ryoka achieving Bankai is impossible." Byakuya then said.

"Perhaps you are the one underestimating me Kuchiki Byakuya. You seem to believe that I don't have Bankai yet here I stand." Tatsuki replied with a hint of anger in her voice.

Suddenly Tatsuki disappeared again and Byakuya sensing danger shunpoed away from where he was standing as the ground where he once stood smashed from Tatsuki's kick. However he once again counted himself rather lucky as the side of his sleeve had been torn off from where he had barely dodged her kick.

Sending his petals outwards once again towards Tatsuki this time he controlled them with his hands which increased their speed greatly. Tatsuki however easily dodged the first wave through the use of Shunpo and charged towards Byakuya weaving in and out of the deadly waves of petals that flew towards her.

Throwing another punch towards Byakuya he managed to just tilt his head to the side however still received a graze to the cheek for his troubles as Tatsuki quickly retreated just managing to avoid another wave.

"Ame-kō(Rain steel), Aijin!" Tatsuki suddenly shouted as she pointed a metal finger towards Byakuya which caused a line of metal spikes to appear in the air above him and speed down towards which would have impaled him had he not Shunpoed to safety in the nick of time.

However Byakuya suddenly hit back as another wave of petals attacked Tatsuki from in front then behind forcing her into the air where once again she found herself surrounded as the petals covered her in a ball and as Byakuya called out "Gokei" the ball collapsed in on itself.

Byakuya's eyes widened in shock as the petals cleared and Tatsuki stood perfectly fine. The only damage that had occurred was that of some scratches where the armour had easily stopped the petals from piercing it as Tatsuki jumped back down to the ground.

"Behold, Arisawa Tatsuki" Byakuya began as the blood on the ground from his wounds earlier suddenly began to glow and both himself and Tatsuki were surrounded by pink fiery reiatsu which began to form what looked like a cage around them. "This is the form of abandoning defence and devoting everything to killing your enemy, the true form of Senbonzakura… Senkei, Senbonzakura Kageyoshi."

Tatsuki and Byakuya were now both surrounded by hundreds of pink blades which locked them both in with no way to escape. Tatsuki's eyes widened as she took in the arena of blades, she had been getting tired since activating her Bankai due to it being the first time and it was taken its toll on her body however she knew she had to continue on.

As they stood facing each other Byakuya stretched his arm to the side and a version of Senbonzakura formed in his hand. Charging towards each other Tatsuki used her armour-covered arm to block Senbonzakura and send a kick to the ribs of Byakuya but he suddenly disappeared using Shunpo and Tatsuki suddenly spun around bringing both her arms up to once again block the blade of Byakuya.

However Tatsuki was shocked as a crack suddenly formed on her arm from where she had been hit. She quickly Shunpoed away and pointed her armoured hand towards Byakuya and called out "Hadō #31. Shakkahō!" as a red beam of energy shot towards Byakuya who barely shunpoed out of the way and charged towards Tatsuki once more.

Bringing his sword down upon her Tatsuki once again brought both her hands up to block and found herself surprised as a crack formed form where she had been hit by Senbonzakura and suddenly another blade formed in Byakuya's hand and he slashed at her ribs but she managed to block by bringing her knee up and she quickly jumped back noticing that her knee was now also cracked and the armour on her arm had now broken off leaving her right arm bare apart from the gauntlet on her hand.

"I see, as your Reiryoku depletes your armour weakens and since this is your first time using it in battle your Reiryoku is weakening quicker. Have you not noticed that you have slowed significantly since the beginning of the fight?" Byakuya said as Tatsuki's eyes widened in response as she realised she had indeed slowed dramatically.

She once again found herself on the defensive as Byakuya charged at her as she barely managed to dodge and block his swings while trying to get in some hits of her own. "Hadō #4. Byakurai." Byakuya called out as the finger on his free hand pointed directly against Tatsuki's shoulder and blue line of energy shot directly through her bypassing her armour completely.

Her helmet suddenly shattered showing that she was weakening greatly and a tired looking Tatsuki could now be seen as blood flowed down her chest from the wound that had just been caused. She suddenly fell to her knees as Byakuya stood over her and summoned a version of Senbonzakura to his hand.

However Byakuya was suddenly shocked as he brought his blade down upon Tatsuki as her steel clad hand shot out and grabbed the blade. "Ha! I told ya Tatsuki that if ya die you'll cause too much trouble for me." A distorted version of Tatsuki's voice rang out as she suddenly looked up.

"Impossible! Who are you?!" Byakuya called out, his eyes widening as he took in the growing Hollow mask on Tatsuki's face and her yellow eyes.

"Who am I? I ain't got a name!" The hollow suddenly threw a punch at Byakuya's shoulder knocking him back and before Byakuya could react she was in front of him once again as he barely dodged punch after punch. However a powerful kick connected with his ribs as he was sent to his knees as a few of ribs broke from the impact.

Tatsuki's fist suddenly froze inches from his face as its other hand reached up and began to tear the mask from its face as a loud scream echoed around the Sōkyoku hill. The mask eventually came off as Tatsuki turned to normal, "Phew that was close one, Sorry 'bout that." She then said as she scratched her head.

"I doubt either of us have any strength to attack much more so let's end this in one final attack." Byakuya said seemingly ignoring the recent event.

"I agree." Tatsuki replied as she began to muster all the Reiryoku she could into one final attack. "Kōtetsunokyojin!(Steel Giant)" Tatsuki called out as a giant steel-looking fist made of Reiatsu formed behind her as she got ready for a final attack.

"Shūkei: Hakuteiken" Byakuya called out in response as pure white wings formed on Byakuya's back, as well as a halo-like circle, made of concentrated spiritual energy.

As both attacks collided the collision could be felt for miles as both Reiatsu fought against one another until they both died down both Tatsuki and Byakuya stood backs to one another as blood suddenly sprayed from Byakuya's shoulder.

"Arisawa Tatsuki, my sword has been shattered by the free-spiritedness of yours, I will no longer pursue Rukia. This duel is your victory." Byakuya said as he barely kept himself up while blood poured down his body and he suddenly disappeared in a flicker of Shunpo.

Tatsuki was left alone on the Sōkyoku hill as she dropped her bankai and returned to her sealed sword and let out a scream as the damage to her body suddenly became evident as she suddenly collapsed luckily for her into the arms of her best friend Inoue Orihime.

-OO-

A short while later Tatsuki once again found herself on the Sōkyoku Hill as she knelt down holding her shoulder and trying to stop the bleeding as Renji lay unconscious next to her. Aizen stood holding a strange looking object he had just retrieved from Rukia's chest as Gin and Tōsen stood close by.

"It's finally done. With this I can finally awaken the true power of my Hōgyoku. Thank you Ryoka-girl you played your part magnificently," Aizen said as Tatsuki's eyes widened, "Now Kuchiki Rukia your part in this done, Gin end her."

"Of course Aizen-taichō, Shoot to kill, Shinsō." Gin activated his Shikai as his blade suddenly extended and headed straight for Rukia.

"Nake, Benihime!" A voice suddenly called out and Gin's blade was blocked by a red shield that had formed in front Rukia.

"Ah Urahara Kisuke how nice of you to finally show your face. I was wondering when you were going to come out but it seems you are too late to stop me." Aizen said as he turned to face Urahara with his usual smile on his face.

"Too late? You seem to be mistaken Aizen. This was part of my plan after all." Urahara replied, a serious expression on his face.

"Oh and what makes you think that. I have the Hōgyoku after all. Now all I need to do is wait patiently." Aizen responded his smile not wavering at all.

"You see, I knew you had to leave Soul Society and the only place you can go to is Hueco Mundo so I planned accordingly," Urahara began but was interrupted by the message of Aizen being a traitor and Central 46 being murdered played around Seireitei." As I was saying, the only way you could escape would be through Negación and although I can't stop it, I can delay it. By increasing the strength of the barrier it will take longer for the Gillian to break through and activate Negación therefore we just have to stop you before it arrives and we have plenty of time." Urahara continued.

"We?" As soon as Aizen spoke captains and lieutenants suddenly began to appear and stood opposite Aizen. Soon every remaining captain and lieutenant of the Gotei 13 had appeared along with Yoruichi. "I see, not bad Urahara Kisuke but do you really think you can stop us before Negación activates?" Aizen finished once everyone had gathered.

"What is the meaning of this Aizen Sōsuke?" Yamamoto spoke as he stood next to Urahara.

"Ah, nice of you to join us Yamamoto-sōtaichō but my plan is bigger than you." Aizen replied. His usual smile still on his face even as he faced the strongest Shinigami in existence.

"You still believe you can win Aizen? You truly are mad if you think three captains can defeat all of us. Give it up Aizen, you've lost." Urahara's voice rang out which brought a chuckle from Aizen.

"Who says there are only three of us," Aizen began which brought narrowed eyes from everyone apart from Yamamoto whose eyes widened slightly. "Do you really think I didn't know you were in Soul Society and had something planned? After tricking the Gotei 13 for nearly one hundred years do you really think you could sneak into Soul Society without me knowing? You should have stopped me a long time ago Urahara Kisuke. Do you know how Negación works Urahara?" Aizen asked.

"Of course, The Gillian class hollows group together to increase their reiatsu and then summon the Negación. However the higher the Reiatsu in the barrier they are trying to break through the longer it takes and the more Reiatsu is needed which is why I strengthened the barrier to make it even more difficult than usual to break through." Urahara responded.

"Correct, however you only planned for the use of Negación and not every option. What do you think I have been doing these past hundred years while you've been running a store in the Human world? I created a device that opens a Garganta which can enter through the barrier of Soul Society when captain class Reiatsu is poured into it." Aizen stated bringing shocked looks from everyone while his own smile widened along with Gin's while Tosen remained as passive as ever.

Suddenly the air to the side of Aizen seemed to shake and then all of a sudden a tear formed which gradually grew wider and wider until it eventually stopped once it reached the height of a rather tall person. Everyone's barring the three traitorous Shinigami's eyes widened in surprise even more as two figures stepped through the Garganta.

A hooded man stepped through with a Zanpakutō on the left side of his hip and a man with shoulder-length brown hair and faded goatee followed closely behind. Aizen spoke up cutting the silence that had engulfed the Sōkyoku Hill, "Welcome to Seireitei, my dear Primera, and Segunda."

**Next chapter is back with Ichigo. **

**I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter to be honest. I think I might have spent too much time on Tatsuki which wasn't my original intention but it just ended up happening. In terms of her Bankai, I think It could improve a lot but I will more than likely increase its strength as the story goes on. **

**I also feel that I rushed the ending of this chapter slightly so I apologise if it feels abit weak. I also have no idea how Negación works but I thought I would change it to suit my story.**

**Thanks for reading! **


	7. Soul Society 3: Confrontations

**Have to say thank you once again to those who have reviewed and I now also nearly have 100 followers for this story which is amazing for me as I thought I would never get anywhere near it in all honesty.**

**The characters might seem OOC a lot in my story but I write them the way I want them to be while trying stick as close as I can to the anime/manga.**

**This chapter begins from where Chapter 4 left off. Hope you all enjoy!**

Following Szayel's lead they began to pour their Reiatsu towards the cube and a Garganta slowly opened. When it fully opened Ichigo and Starrk quickly stepped through and made their way through heading towards the exit not knowing what was waiting for them.

As they stepped out into the sun of Soul Society the scene that greeted them was rather interesting. The strongest Shinigami stood before them. The captains of the Gotei 13 had gathered.

Looking over the Shinigami that stood across from them Ichigo was intrigued in how this would all play out. Their side had two espada and three captains while theirs had numerous captain class and two people that seemed to be of captain level. What seemed to be the lieutenants stood further back behind the captains but Ichigo knew only two of them had any decent power to give them a slight challenge.

"Welcome to Seireitei, my dear Primera, and Segunda." Aizen's voice broke Ichigo from his thoughts as both he and Starrk returned the greeting with a nod of the head. Aizen stood to the side of where Ichigo and Starrk had emerged with Tōsen and Gin standing close behind him.

Looking past Aizen he then saw three people that looked like Shinigami. Two seemed to be around lieutenant level in strength while the other female who lay face down seemed to have somewhere around a low level captain's Reiatsu from what he could sense. 'There's something else inside her, it seems to feel like a hollow of some sort. She could prove interesting in the future.' Ichigo thought to himself as once again he turned his attention to the Shinigami stood across from him.

Looking over the Shinigami he quickly began to use his Pesquisa ability to try and gauge their power. He instantly recognised the Reiatsu of what must have been the captain commander who stood ahead of the other captains. Ichigo felt that his Reiatsu was surprisingly calm for the situation they were in. 'Perhaps he feels confident in the abilities of his Taicho's.' However on further inspection Ichigo could feel his reiatsu fluctuate slightly due to his anger at the situation but he was expertly keeping it under control.

Quickly examining the Reiatsu levels of the other captains he made note of the captains that seemed to have more than the others. A white-haired man and another wearing a pink kimono seemed to have the most but they had expert control which probably meant they were two of the most experienced and strongest captains.

Another one that stood out was that of man wearing an eye-patch however Ichigo knew it was no ordinary eye-patch. He could feel his Reiatsu seemingly flow into it to stop it from going wild and Ichigo knew that even though he had an awesome amount of Reiatsu hidden away he had very little control over it and was probably just full of brute force.

As he turned to the last person of note; his eyes made found their way to her face and immediately he felt something flicker in the back of his mind for quick second as if he recognised her. A mixture of emotion flew through him ranging from anger then to sadness and then to what seemed like happiness. Shaking his head slightly to get rid of any thoughts he got back to examining her Reiatsu. He could feel she was very powerful but was keeping a lot of her power under control and Ichigo couldn't feel any hint of anger or malice towards anyone in the immediate vicinity which he felt was rather odd due them being invaders.

He couldn't help but think about the female captain that had brought about whatever it was inside his head. However looking at her now nothing was going through his head at all and Ichigo quickly dismissed the feelings that had passed through him. He could feel Starrk's eyes on him which probably meant that his Reiatsu had fluctuated slightly when the emotions passed through him and he suddenly felt glad that he had the hood up on his jacket which covered most of his face from view.

Yamamoto couldn't help but feel uncertain at what was about to happen. As soon as the two men stepped through from the Garganta he knew that they were facing a tough battle to kill Aizen and get whatever object he held before Negación came. He knew that they were at a strong captain level and that was only the reiatsu he could sense and he knew they were masking a lot of their power. He also knew he would probably have to step in and take part in the battle himself to either kill Aizen or one of those Arrancar.

"Who are these hollows, Aizen?" Urahara asked as feeling of dread crept upon him at hearing what the answer would be.

"They are two of my most powerful followers. They are at the pinnacle of evolution in Hollows and are what is known as Arrancar. They are hollows that have gained powers similar to that of a Shinigami. Do you still feel confident Urahara Kisuke?" Aizen responded with his usual confident smile as nearly everyone's eyes barring the more powerful captains widened at the statement.

"Have you gone mad Aizen siding with the creatures you once swore to destroy?" Ukitake called out as his anger started to rise.

"I am merely doing what is necessary. Besides, Arrancar are not mindless Hollows which are intent on devouring souls but no longer feel the need to mindlessly feed on human souls." Aizen answered.

"And how did you get Arrancar to follow you Aizen? As far as I am aware Hollows of any class are not fans of Shinigami never mind willingly following them." Urahara then asked.

"I merely gave them something they wanted and in return requested their allegiance to my cause. I'm sure you know that there is one natural way for Hollows to become Arrancar and that is by tearing off their mask. However I'm sure you know the power of the Hōgyoku Urahara."

"Impossible! You have just gotten the Hōgyoku and it hasn't even awakened fully to create perfect Arrancar." Urahara responded.

"I'll ask you once again Urahara; what do you think I have been doing for the past one hundred years since you have been gone. You are blinded by your own arrogance; you have underestimated me once again." Aizen said as he felt the Reiatsu of Urahara rise slightly in anger.

"What is this Hōgyoku and how come we have never heard of it?" Ukitake spoke once more.

"We no longer have the time to stand around and talk. I shall explain the Hōgyoku to all of you after today has finished. The Negación will be here soon so we must end it before then." Urahara responded which seemed to anger some of the captains however they were silenced before they could even begin speaking by the rising Reiatsu of the captain commander.

"Tell me child do you really think the Gotei 13 will be defeated by merely five children." Yamamoto bellowed out towards Aizen while Ichigo and Starrk didn't react to being called children. They knew he was underestimating Aizen and themselves.

"You are mistaken Yamamoto-sōtaichō. I shall not crush the Gotei 13 today; I have already gotten what I have planned for and now merely wait for our exit to arrive. Unlike you I shall not underestimate my enemies. It shall take more than the five of us to get the outcome I desire." Aizen replied not shaken by the outburst from Yamamoto.

"You shall be crushed before you will escape Aizen Sōsuke, Ichimaru Gin, and Tōsen Kaname. All fukutaichō's head to your respective divisions and get them ready in case of more threats to Seireitei." With this order the lieutenants immediately disappeared from the hill using Shunpo and headed to their own division headquarters.

The wooden staff he had been leaning on started to peel away revealing his Zanpakutō hidden beneath. A huge level of reiatsu began to smother everyone as Yamamoto's reiatsu rose significantly as he begun to unsheathe it.

"Reduce All Creation to Ash, Ryūjin Jakka!" Yamamoto called out as he unleashed the devastating Shikai of Ryūjin Jakka and his blade was smothered in fire. The captains behind him began to feel the pressure as their breathing became laboured. With a flick of his Zanpakutō Yamamoto sent a devastating line of fire straight towards Aizen intending on ending the fight before it could begin.

The captain's eyes widened in surprise as for the first time since they had arrived one of the Arrancar moved and he moved faster than they could imagine as he disappeared then reappeared in front of the flames Ryūjin Jakka diverted them away from Aizen just by using his Zanpakutō. Even Aizen himself seemed to be slightly surprised by how easy Ichigo deflected the flames.

"You are obviously the strongest Shinigami here. Therefore I shall be your opponent." Ichigo called out and without reply he disappeared from the Sōkyoku Hill and was followed closely by Yamamoto.

"My… my… he's crazy that one." Gin said with his usual grin and wave of the hand which seemed to bring the remaining captains out of their shock and everyone began to disappear to another part of the Sōkyoku Hill to begin their respective battles leaving Aizen standing across from Urahara, Yoruichi and Soifon.

"You still believe you can survive long enough for Negación to save you Aizen." Yoruichi called out as she took her place next to Urahara.

"Ah Shihōin Yoruichi how nice to see you in Soul Society again after all these years but my plan has worked out perfectly." Aizen replied.

"And what do you mean by that?" Soifon asked as she stood beside Yoruichi.

"There is only one member of the Gotei 13 that I admit can defeat me in one on one combat and that is Yamamoto-sōtaichō. However he has overestimated his fellow Shinigami and thought that you could defeat me while he is kept busy. I can assure you that you are no match for me." Aizen responded as his hand fell to his Zanpakutō.

"So you send the Arrancar to his death just so you do not have to face the sōtaichō. You are coward Aizen." Urahara said as he tightened his grip around his own Zanpakutō.

"Oh if you think I sent him to his death then you are mistaken. I can assure you that he will not die; he is far too powerful to be killed that easily." Aizen replied.

"Enough talk Aizen; shall we begin?" Yoruichi asked as she got into her fighting stance which was closely followed by Soifon.

"If that is what you wish." Aizen responded as he drew his Zanpakutō.

-OO-

Tōsen stood waiting patiently for his opponents to arrive and he wasn't surprised to find out who it was that had come to fight him. Komamura Sajin and Kuchiki Byakuya appeared opposite him in a flash of Shunpo and they both immediately drew their Zanpakutō which was followed closely by Tōsen.

"Explain to me Tōsen; why did you become a Shinigami? Was it not for your deceased friend or your sense of justice? Where is your justice now?!" Komamura called out enraged at his once upon a time friend.

"I told you before, Komamura. The only paths I see with these eyes are the ones not dyed of blood. Those are the paths of justice so whichever path I choose is the path of justice." Tōsen replied with his usual stern look.

"You have a wayward sense of justice, Tōsen Kaname. Killing the members of Central 46 and siding with hollows; how is that justice?" Byakuya said. Byakuya's torso was covered in bandages from his fight with Tatsuki and his left arm and shoulder were also heavily bandaged.

"I follow the path I choose Kuchiki Byakuya which the same cannot be said for you. You were so willing to side with those who had chosen to execute your own sister before you were defeated by a mere Ryoka." Tōsen replied.

"Do not speak of my sister, Tōsen. If not for you and Aizen then she would have not been in that position in the first place. Your sense of justice shall be your downfall." Byakuya then said.

"Are you sure you are in a position to fight me. You received some rather serious wounds not too long ago at the hands of that Ryoka. I hope they do not hold you back." Tōsen calmly responded.

"Scatter, Senbonzakura." Byakuya called out as he unleashed his Shikai.

"Roar, Tenken!" Komamura then called out as he too activated his Shikai which didn't seem to change his Zanpakutō at all but Tōsen knew the power of it.

Tōsen quickly disappeared from where he stood as the petals of Senbonzakura consumed the area where he once stood and he reappeared behind Byakuya only to find his swing blocked by the Zanpakutō of Komamura and he jumped away before he could be countered.

Bringing his blade up to block the phantom blade produced by the swing of Komamura; Tōsen once again found himself forced to use Shunpo to avoid the deadly blossoms of Byakuya and charged towards Komamura who easily blocked his strike once again.

Tōsen dodged to the side as the huge fist of Komamura flew past his head quickly followed by another phantom fist from his Shikai. "Bakudō # 81. Dankū!" Tōsen called out which caused a translucent barrier to form in the shape of a large wall which blocked the blossoms of Byakuya just in time.

Tōsen charged towards Byakuya once more aiming for one of his previous wounds in hope of opening it up but found his path blocked by Komamura who brought his Zanpakutō down towards Tōsen who managed to block before he sent a kick aimed towards Komamura who easily blocked before Tōsen jumped back.

"Suzumushi Nishiki: Benihikō." Tōsen called out as he jumped into the air. As he swung his Zanpakutō in a semi-circle in front of him a trail appeared behind it which formed into hundreds of blades that headed straight towards Komamura. However the blossoms of Senbonzakura swarmed in front of him forming a protective barrier and blocking most of the swords heading for Komamura while the rest hit the ground.

"You really think you are a match for two taichō's on your own." Byakuya said as Tōsen dropped down to the ground.

"It matters not that I defeat you but to merely survive before Negación arrives. I can easily survive the attacks you two throw at me." Tōsen replied causing a growl from Komamura.

"Bakudō # 4. Hainawa." Tōsen called out as a crackling yellow rope appeared around his arms and he aimed it towards Byakuya who was unable to get out of the way and was immobilized by the energy rope.

Bakudō #61. Rikujōkōrō." Tōsen said causing six beams of light to form around Byakuya which used the energy that had been formed from Hainawa to lock him in place for an even longer amount of time before he could get free as he reformed the blade of Senbonzakura to try and force his way out.

Tōsen then found himself under pressure as the giant form of Komamura appeared behind him and he quickly used Shunpo to get away. However Tōsen wasn't quick enough and he felt a trickle of blood drip down his back form the cut in his shoulder.

Tōsen once again brought his Zanpakutō up to block the blade of Komamura who had enormous power behind his strikes with the help of the phantom body parts he formed using his Shikai. Finding himself being pushed back Tōsen quickly dodged to the side removing Suzumushi from the deadlock with Tenken which caused Komamura to lose balance for a quick second which was more than enough for Tōsen to capitalise on.

As Komamura felt the blade of Tōsen sink into shoulder he let out a small growl and swung a large fist in Tōsen's direction causing him to duck and he brought Tenken down to try and catch Tōsen out but he quickly Shunpoed away before he could be caught out.

"Ye lord! Mask of flesh and bone, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! Truth and temperance, upon this sinless wall of dreams unleash but slightly the wrath of your claws. Hadō #33. Sōkatsui." A light blue energy beam shot past Tōsen who found himself in pain as his arm got caught before he could escape the blast. Tuning around he saw Byakuya stood with his arm held out as he finished firing Sōkatsui after escaping the binding spells.

Numerous burn marks littered the arm of Tōsen as blood still marred his white haori from the cut to his shoulder. Komamura also had a cut to his own shoulder which had produced more blood than Tōsen's whereas Byakuya's wounds from his battle with Tatsuki had begun to open up as his once white bandages were now blood red.

However before they could begin their battle once again they all turned to see two large pillars of Reiatsu shoot into the sky of Soul Society as the captain commander and Ichigo released even more of their power.

"Yamamoto-sōtaichō is not taking his opponent lightly which means neither should we." Komamura called out.

"I agree; it's time we ended this." Byakuya agreed with his fellow captain.

"Two incredible powers yet neither have even begun to touch upon their maximum." Tōsen then said turning his attention back to his own fight.

-OO-

Ichimaru Gin stood opposite the three captains that had come to be his opponents with his usual grin covering his face. Stood opposite him was Hitsugaya Toshiro, Kurotsuchi Mayuri and Zaraki Kenpachi.

"Tch, you two should step aside. I can easily take this bastard myself." Kenpachi called out as he held his Zanpakutō across his shoulder.

"Since when did I take orders from a brute like you?" Mayuri replied as his hand rested on the hilt of his own Zanpakutō.

"You got a problem Kurotsuchi? I said I will fight him so that's the end of it. You two will only get in the way and I don't do three against one fights unless I'm the one." Kenpachi argued back.

"Enough you two; you heard what Yamamoto-sōtaichō said so stop arguing amongst yourselves." Toshiro said growing angry at his two fellow captains as he drew his Zanpakutō.

Gin suddenly brought out his Zanpakutō which was in the form of a wakizashi and brought it up just in time to block the jagged blade of Kenpachi who had begun the fight. "Geez Zaraki, do you have to put so much power behind your swings?" Gin called out as he pushed back against Kenpachi.

"You ain't seen nothing yet Ichimaru!" Kenpachi replied as brought his blade down to strike Gin but found himself being blocked once again. Bringing his Zanpakutō down again and again Kenpachi began to push Gin back due to the power of his strikes but the usual grin of Gin never left his face.

Quickly using Shunpo Gin dodged the next strike of Kenpachi and swung his own blade towards Kenpachi's ribcage who received a slight cut due to not being fast enough to dodge. "Not bad Ichimaru; at least you can cut me." Kenpachi called out as his own grin grew even wider.

"You sure are something else Zaraki growing so excited over fighting lil old me." Gin replied, as his own grin widened. Kenpachi charged once more as Gin barely brought his Zanpakutō in time to block or risk losing his head and they exchanged blow after blow.

As their blades clashed against one another once more and they become stuck in a deadlock Gin's grin widened once again which didn't go unnoticed by Kenpachi. "Shoot to kill, Shinsō." Gin said as he managed to turn his blade to face Kenpachi as it was suddenly covered in a bright light.

Kenpachi's shoulder erupted with blood as the Shinsō extended and shot straight threw his shoulder surprising Kenpachi in the progress who then jumped back. "Tch, that actually hurt." Kenpachi called out as the blade of Gin shrunk back to its original size.

However Kenpachi's grin only grew wider as he charged towards Gin once more who readied himself in anticipation. As their blades collided Gin extended Shinsō once again however it merely grazed the arm of Kenpachi who dodged in anticipation and Gin quickly jumped back as the blade of Toshiro came down on where he once stood and he skidded back.

"Sit Upon the Frozen Heavens, Hyōrinmaru!" Toshiro called out from beside Kenpachi as his Zanpakutō extended slightly and gained a crescent shaped blade attached to its hilt by a long metal chain.

Slicing his blade in the direction of Gin a large dragon made of ice shot towards Gin who barely dodged as the ground where the dragon touched froze from the impact.

"What the hell! Who said I was finished?" Kenpachi shouted at Toshiro.

"We can't play around Zaraki-taichō. We only have a certain amount of time before Negación arrives and are you going to explain to the sōtaichō why we didn't defeat our opponent because you refused our help." Toshiro replied with a stern look on his face.

"I just want this over with; I would much rather be in my lab experimenting than teaming up with the likes of you." Mayuri began as he appeared beside Kenpachi, "Rip, Ashisogi Jizō" he then continued as he released his Shikai causing his Zanpakutō to transform into a deformed golden trident with the middle blade being longer than the outer two.

"My oh my I might just have to get serious after all." Gin laughed which caused looks of anger to flash upon the faces of the three captains.

Swinging Hyōrinmaru towards Gin once again another Ice dragon shot towards him however he found himself quickly forced to block as Shinsō shot through the dragon and collided with the blade of Toshiro sending him skidding back. Tilting his hand Gin swung the extended Shinsō towards Mayuri with expert precision causing the captain to Shunpo away or risk being cut in two.

Gin quickly retracted Shinsō and blocked the jagged blade of Kenpachi that was aimed for his neck and was then forced to duck as the Zanpakutō of Mayuri swung above him also causing Kenpachi to jump back or risk being cut himself.

"Watch where you swing that thing, Kurotsuchi!" Kenpachi shouted as Mayuri and Toshiro appeared next to him.

"You might actually cause me some problems if you learned how to fight together instead of killing each other ya know." Gin said regaining the attention of the arguing captains.

"Don't think too highly of yourself Ichimaru. You don't stand a chance against the three of us even if our teamwork isn't the best." Toshiro responded.

"Well you better get a move on if you want to kill me already. Time is running out ya know." Gin replied waving his hand in a nonchalant manner. Gin was quickly forced back into a serious manner as he barely dodged the blade of Kenpachi as he jumped back and brought Shinsō up to block against Ashisogi Jizō before it pierced his chest.

However he couldn't react fast enough to block or dodge a third Zanpakutō as Hyōrinmaru cut into his arm before he could use Shunpo to get away. Reappearing across from the three captains Gin's left arm hung limply at his side as blood dripped to floor while he gripped Shinsō tightly in his right hand.

"Not bad you three; looks like I might have to get serious after all." Gin said before he suddenly disappeared surprising the three captains at how fast he moved and he was barely blocked by Toshiro who had just brought his Zanpakutō up in time to guard his chest.

Disappearing once again in a flash of Shunpo this time it was Kenpachi's time to block as his grin widened at feeling the power behind Gin's strike before Kenpachi found himself force to jump away as he barely dodged the extended blade of Shinsō which unfortunately for Kenpachi followed him back and cut into the top of his shoulder drawing blood.

Gin quickly brought Shinsō around as Mayuri swung at him from behind but was unable to make before Gin disappeared once again before the ice dragon of Toshiro could land a hit. The three captains were surprised that Gin had suddenly increased his speed and strength considering his left arm was now largely useless.

"What's wrong with ya's? Don't tell me you are surprised by a slight increase in speed." Gin said, once again causing angry looks to grow on the three captains faces.

"Shut it Ichimaru! You've barely done anything to us while you have a useless arm." Kenpachi shouted back.

"You say that is if I'm the one that's meant to be killing you three. Hope you haven't forgotten about good ol' Negación." Grin replied, grinning once again. Before the three captains could respond to the taunt the four Shinigami were rocked by a sudden burst of Reiatsu as two pillars off in the distance rose into the sky.

"Looks like the sōtaichō is starting to take things seriously. It mustn't be too long before Negación comes if he's planning on killing his opponent now." Toshiro said as he recovered from the shock of the reiatsu.

"I just hope I can fight whoever it is he's fighting before he kills him." Kenpachi said, grinning at the prospect of fighting someone that strong.

"You two are idiots. If the sōtaichō is releasing this much Reiatsu and his opponent is still matching him then he's obviously fighting someone powerful and it's going to be easier said then done to kill him." Mayuri then added his insight.

"My my… he truly is scary matching the sōtaichō like that." Gin spoke seemingly to himself as his usual grin faded for a split second before reappearing.

-OO-

Starrk stood opposite the two captains that had appeared before him and he couldn't help but feel he had drawn the short end of the stick so to speak, apart from Ichigo of course who was fighting the most powerful Shinigami in existence but that was his choice Starrk thought.

"I am Ukitake Jūshirō, taichō of the 13th division." Ukitake greeted Starrk with his usual smile.

"I am taichō of the 8th division, Kyōraku Shunsui." Kyōraku also introduced himself.

"Coyote Starrk" Starrk replied with a rather tired expression on his face.

"I guess we got a powerful one huh Jūshirō." Kyōraku said with a small smile as he tilted his straw hat towards Starrk.

"I guess so, although it seems rather unfair that there are two of us and only one of him." Ukitake responded.

"I think you are forgetting your fellow taichō other there. No doubt she will try something once she is done." Starrk said turning his head to face Unohana.

She was currently kneeling close to the unconscious Tatsuki with a green glow emanating from her fingers as she began to heal the wounds that littered her body. Rukia was now unconscious from the level of reiatsu that had been released on the Sōkyoku hill from the captain commander. Renji also lay next to her still badly injured from his encounter with Aizen as blood covered most of his body.

"She is merely healing her fellow shinigami. Surely you aren't thinking she will try something behind your back." Kyōraku said with a slight exaggeration.

"You three are the most powerful taichō's besides the sōtaichō that much is obvious. Therefore I will not lower my guard against any of you." Starrk replied.

"That's rather good of you Arrancar to be able to come to the conclusion that we are the most powerful captains behind Genryūsai-dono. However he is years ahead of any of us so I wouldn't be surprised if you're worried about the death of a fellow hollow." Ukitake responded noticing Starrk had turned his attention towards the direction Yamamoto had disappeared to.

"You are mistaken taichō if you think I am worried about his death." Starrk replied with a slight smile causing the eyebrows of the two captains to rise.

"Oh, you really think he's capable of going against Yama-jii? You have a surprising amount of faith in in a fellow hollow to think he can match Yama-jii's power." Kyōraku responded.

"I have full confidence in his abilities why do you think it was he who challenged the sōtaichō and not any of the rest of us." Starrk replied.

"Yet to take on the most powerful Shinigami in existence is a big step up to fighting fellow hollows in Hueco Mundo." Ukitake said this time.

"I'll say again, why do you think it was he who challenged the sōtaichō and not the rest of us. He's on another level compared to all of us here including Aizen himself although I don't even think Aizen realises that." Starrk responded causing surprised looks to flash across the faces of the two captains.

"You're saying he is as strong as Yama-jii?" Kyōraku asked in a rather surprised tone.

"If he releases his true power I would fear for the entirety of Seireitei if I was you." Starrk replied in a calm manner as he felt the other battles around them begin.

"We have full confidence in Yamamoto-sōtaichō, Arrancar; I wouldn't overestimate your friend if I was you. I am Unohana Retsu, taichō of the 4th division." Unohana introduced herself as she appeared next to her fellow captains, her Zanpakutō hung from her shoulder.

"Ah nice of you to join us Retsu, how are they doing?" Ukitake asked concerned over the nearby Shinigami and Ryoka's health.

"They are doing fine Jūshirō but they will require more healing after this situation has been dealt with." Unohana replied before turning her attention back towards Starrk.

"I am Coyote Starrk and I am not overestimating my friend I can assure you that." Starrk replied, introducing himself.

"I see you think highly of your fellow Arrancar. We were always taught to believe that hollows were mindless beasts." Unohana said.

"That is something you will always believe no matter what, Shinigami. However becoming Arrancar opens us up to experience feelings similar to that of a Shinigami and we no longer feel the non-stop hunger to devour souls." Starrk responded as he turned to face the direction of where Ichigo fought

"I see… then perhaps we are more alike than first thought although I still don't see why you have so much faith in your friend." Unohana replied.

"When we become Arrancar, as you can see, we receive Zanpakutō which seals our power and true form. If we were to release our swords our true power is released similar to that of a Shinigami Bankai." Starrk said causing shocked looks once again from the captains.

"And how do you know of Bankai?" Ukitake asked.

"Bankai is common knowledge among the higher tier of Hollow although we don't know what any of the Bankai's do or who exactly has them we know that they are powerful abilities used by only powerful Shinigami's. Although coming here I can easily see that only those of taichō level Reiryoku have the ability to use Bankai." Starrk answered.

"I see but that still doesn't explain why your friend is so powerful." Unohana responded relived that they only knew what a Bankai was and not individual ones which at least gave them a slight advantage she thought.

"I can feel that he holds back a tremendous amount of power similar to how your sōtaichō also does but with him there is also something else held back. I don't think even he knows that he is doing but if he was to somehow able to release it all at once then your sōtaichō would be in trouble." Starrk answered once again.

"And what is this thing he holds back?" Kyōraku spoke up for the first time in a while.

"I also don't know but it seems its will to brake through grows stronger when he fights." Starrk said as he recalled his sparring with Ichigo.

"You seem to be willing to tell us a lot about yourselves Starrk." Unohana then said.

"I am merely here to keep Aizen from being killed which simply means keeping the strongest taichō's busy no matter how I do it although you all don't seem to be in any rush to fight me." Starrk answered

"So you are to keep us busy and your friend keeps Yamamoto-sōtaichō busy while you wait for Negación to come." Unohana continued.

"That is correct but why don't you simply just attack me from the off and then go after Aizen." Starrk responded.

"Perhaps you can count yourself lucky that you have been confronted by the only Shinigami in Seireitei that do not wish to fight you at this point. We also know that fighting Aizen when he has us under his Shikai is rather pointless at this point." Unohana responded which got a nod of the head form Ukitake and Kyōraku merely tipped his hat.

"Perhaps, but what is the ability of Aizen that makes three of the most powerful taichō's afraid to fight him?" Starrk asked, glad that he might not have to fight since he was unable to enter his Resurrección due to leaving Lilynette behind in Las Noches.

"Do not get us wrong Starrk, we are not afraid to fight Aizen it's just his Shikai is very powerful. It is the ability of complete hypnosis. He could easily make it so we fight each other rather than fight him and the sōtaichō is probably the only person that could break through the illusions with brute Reiatsu if it's possible." Ukitake answered, his usual smile disappearing from his face.

"A truly fearsome ability." Starrk replied with a sigh as he thought of what Aizen could do with a Shikai like that.

"Indeed it is, after all he tricked the Gotei 13 for years without being found out until recently." Kyōraku said, glad that he didn't have to fight yet.

"So what makes you think you can stop Aizen once he makes his escape." Starrk continued the rather peaceful conversation despite the battles raging on nearby.

"We have known about Aizen's plan for a few days now however it was too late to stop it due to the invasion of the Ryoka. Although we can't stop Aizen now we will ultimately find a way to stop him, the Gotei 13 has always stopped any threats that come its way." Ukitake responded with a stern look on his face.

"I see, so that is why Aizen called us here. You found out his plan before he meant it to happen which force him to call upon us." Starrk responded with a curious look upon his face.

"Urahara Kisuke made us aware of Aizen's plan but it was still too late to stop it but Urahara decided to make one last attempt before he escaped to Hueco Mundo. If there is one person that can outthink Aizen then it is Urahara." Unohana responded.

"What made you follow Aizen in the first place Starrk?" Ukitake asked before Starrk could respond to Unohana.

"In truth it is not Aizen I am loyal to although to everyone else it might seem like that. I have lived a lonely existence in Hueco Mundo but now have a trusted friend who has eased my loneliness. If I have to serve under Aizen to stay by his side then so be it; if he fights for Aizen then I will join him in doing so." Starrk replied surprising the Shinigami stood across from him.

"So you are not loyal to Aizen but to someone else; why would you risk telling us something like that?" Kyōraku replied.

"It makes no difference if you know, I doubt you will go running to Aizen and tell him all about me." Starrk replied noticing that the fights were still continuing around them.

"You are correct Starrk although it seems strange to pledge your allegiance to someone just because they became your friend." Ukitake then responded.

"Hollows of all kind have something in common other than a hollow hole. If they find a significant reason such as granting them more power or saving their life then they will pledge their allegiance to others willingly and he has given me reason enough to serve with him rather than under Aizen even if he himself doesn't know that I will follow him." Starrk replied as he felt the reiatsu of Ichigo and the captain commander fluctuate slightly indicating they were in fighting one another.

"This friend of yours must be rather special for you to follow him like that. Where is your friend now?" Unohana asked, rather curious about who Starrk was talking about.

"Fighting your sōtaichō." Stark answered gaining surprised looks once more form the three captains.

Before any of the three captains could respond, the crushing Reiatsu of Yamamoto and Ichigo pressed down upon them as they immediately turned their attention towards the two huge pillars of reiatsu that rose into the sky.

"It seems Yama-jii is having a more difficult time than first thought." Kyōraku said more to himself than anyone else.

"Starrk was right after all, he does seem to be giving Yamamoto-dono a strong challenge." Ukitake then said amazed at how much Reiatsu the Arrancar was outputting.

Unohana didn't say anything but inside she was intrigued; the Reiatsu of the hollow felt somehow familiar to her deep down but she quickly dismissed any thought of possibly knowing a hollow however she was interrupted from her thoughts by the voice of Starrk nearby.

"You better not go and get yourself killed Ichigo." Starrk said quietly to himself as a small smile crept upon his face.

"What did you just say, Starrk?" Unohana suddenly called out gaining the attention of Starrk and her two fellow captains who hadn't heard what Starrk had said.

"What do you mean?" Starrk replied with a rather curious expression.

"Why did you say that name?" Unohana then asked as her hand tightened around the handle of her Zanpakutō causing Ukitake and Kyōraku to look at her in shock at how angry she was suddenly getting.

"What's wrong Retsu?" Ukitake asked as he tried to make sense of what was going on and hopefully calm Unohana down. However she merely ignored him as she waited for Starrk's response as he stood with narrowed eyes staring towards Unohana.

"What does it matter? Why is that name so important to you that it would suddenly cause you to become angry." Replied Starrk as his own hand reached towards his Zanpakutō in anticipation of Unohana making a move.

Kyōraku and Ukitake were both thinking the same thing and that was about the one name that could cause Unohana Retsu to act like that. The one name that could make her angry; apart from the anger wasn't aimed at Starrk entirely but was also aimed at herself. However they both knew that it should be impossible for that person to still exist never mind be here in Seireitei and as they remembered the name a hint guilt ran through them at what had happened all those years ago.

"What is the name of that Arrancar?" Unohana asked with a serene look on her face surprising Starrk at how she had suddenly changed.

"That name must mean a lot to you to cause you to react like that." Starrk replied growing even more curious at what Ichigo meant to her and the other captains due to the troubled expressions on their faces.

"You have no idea, Starrk." Unohana replied with a calm voice seemingly having relaxed from a moment ago as she stood with her eyes closed.

"His name is Kurosaki Ichigo." Starrk eventually confirmed their suspicions. The three captains eyes widened at hearing confirmation of the name as a mixture of emotions became evident on their faces for a split second at hearing Ichigo was indeed here in Seireitei. Starrk was surprised as Unohana suddenly disappeared from the hill seemingly heading in the direction of the battle between Yamamoto and Ichigo.

**I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter especially the part with Starrk and Kyōraku and Ukitake since I originally planned on having them fight each other but without Starrk going into Resurrección I was unsure of what the outcome would be so changed it appropriately. I'm also not sure of how good the fight scenes were and maybe they made Tosen and Gin seem more powerful than they actually are which was not my intention.**

**I'm sure all of you are disappointed that Starrk didn't end up fighting but without Lilynette I decided that I would use the opportunity to find out more about Starrk and bring in a bit more about Ichigo's background. Don't worry since I have more fights planned for Ichigo and Starrk in future chapters and I also hope that it seemed reasonable enough for Starrk to not fight with Kyōraku and Ukitake at this point.**

**Ichigo's fight against Yama will be next chapter and also Aizen against Urahara which I'm not sure how I'm going to write as of yet and also find out why Unohana, Ukitake and Kyōraku felt the way they did towards the end of the chapter. **

**I'm also not sure when my next update will be due to being very busy at the moment.**


	8. Soul Society 4: The Greatest Minds

**PLEASE READ: Really sorry for taking this long to update this story but my computer broke and i thought i had lost all my story along with this chapter but I found it on a external hard drive so decided to upload what i have written rather then leave you guys in the dark.**

**Due me not having a access to a computer lately I haven't been able to add to this chapter so its not aslong as my previous ones and I am not sure when my next update will be. I originally was planning on putting the Ichigo and Yamamto fight in this chapter but its going to have to wait I'm afraid so please stick by it and I hope i can get a new computer sorted out soon.**

The two brightest minds in all of Soul Society and Hueco Mundo stood opposite one another for the first time in around one hundred years. The night they last met face to face was still etched into both their memories as for one it was the night he was exiled from Soul Society and for the other it could be said that it was the night his plans finally started to take motion.

Urahara knew that he was facing an up-hill battle if he was to stop Aizen from escaping Soul Society when the day began but now he knew it was almost impossible for him and his two fellow Shinigami to stop him.

Since arriving secretly in Seireitei, his plans to stop Aizen had went well all things considered. He had successfully convinced arguably the strongest captains in Unohana Retsu, Kyōraku Shunsui, Ukitake Jūshirō and Zaraki Kenpachi to join his side in some way or other. He had known the entire time that Aizen would use Negación to escape the might of the Gotei 13 and he also knew it was impossible to stop but he was able to delay it and give them all enough time to have a decent chance in killing Aizen when he revealed himself.

He had even managed to outsmart Aizen in certain aspects as he managed to stop Hinamori Momo getting seriously injured at the hands of Aizen with the help of Ukitake's lieutenant Kurosaki Karin and let another captain in on his plan in Hitsugaya Tōshirō.

-OO-

It was the morning of Kuchiki Rukia's supposed execution and Kurosaki Karin found herself knelt down on the outer wall that overlooked the building that normally contained the nobles of Central 46. However she had been told by Urahara Kisuke that the nobles were no longer the ones running Seireitei and it was now the traitorous captain Aizen Sōsuke who had murdered the original council.

She had also been told by her own captain that she was to make sure Hinamori was not seriously injured since that would make it easier for them to gain the support of Hitsugaya Tōshirō since Urahara believed that Tōshirō thought Gin was behind it all and they would need all the help they could get once Aizen revealed himself. To help in her task Urahara had given her a black cloak to wear over the top of her Shinigami uniform that would completely mask her Reiatsu as long as she kept it on.

Urahara had also explained about the real Shikai of Aizen and not the one he had shown the Gotei 13. Kyōka Suigetsu's real ability is that of complete hypnosis and can control the five senses of a person to make them see whatever Aizen wants them to see. To fall under the illusions of Aizen all it would take was to see the release of Kyōka Suigetsu and this was why Karin considered herself rather lucky that she had been called to her family home outside Seireitei when Aizen had demonstrated his Zanpakutō and tricked most of the Gotei 13.

Karin was pulled from her thoughts as Hinamori Momo appeared in front of the large doors that made up the entrance to the Central 46 main chamber. Making sure her cloak was covering her as much as possible Karin watched as Hinamori pushed open the door with ease and made her way inside.

Karin decided to wait a few minutes to give Hinamori a few minutes a chance to see the true side of Aizen and to see what he had done to the nobles of Central 46. Sensing the raising reiatsu of Hinamori who must have saw what Aizen was really like Karin disappeared from the wall using Shunpo and reappeared at the entrance to the chamber.

Even though she had been told by Urahara that the nobles had been murdered, seeing their lifeless bodies was still rather shocking for Karin as she made her way inside and silently made her way towards the area where Hinamori stood.

As she crept forward her eyes found their way onto the figure of Hinamori as she stood before Aizen with tears streaking down her face. She couldn't hear much of the conversation but from the bits she could gather it was clear that Aizen had revealed his true self and Hinamori let out a scream as the illusion of Kyōka Suigetsu must have shattered revealing the massacre of Central 46.

Sensing that it was time, Karin called on all the training she had received and hoped she could catch Aizen by surprise as she used Shunpo to quickly appear beside Hinamori whose tear stained eyes widened in surprise as she suddenly found herself being grabbed from behind and being saved from the blade of her beloved captain.

Karin suddenly brought herself to a stop and dropped Hinamori to the floor as she began panting heavily from the strain of using Shunpo so fast while carrying another person. She had made quite the distance from Central 46 and was glad that she had managed to catch Aizen by surprise thanks to the cloak Urahara wore.

Karin suddenly fell to one knee and brought her hand up to her side and grimaced from the pain as she took in the sight of her blood soaked hand. She silently thanked her Uncle who she had always looked up to after the training he had given her all those years ago which was how she had managed to only receive the wound she did since it could have been much worse if she was slower.

"Well done Karin you did a good job but you should take it easy for now." A soft motherly tone came from behind as Karin and Hinamori both turned around to face Unohana Retsu who quickly made her way over to the side of Karin.

"Guess I wasn't fast enough huh." Karin laughed slightly as Unohana began to apply healing Kidō to her wound as Hinamori stood nearby still coming to terms of what she had just found out.

"You did well to be faster than a taichō whether you had the element of surprise on your side or not." Unohana smiled down as she slowly healed one of the girls she had taken under her wing.

"It means a lot coming from you Retsu but I guess we should get Hinamori somewhere safe and let Urahara know I succeeded." Karin replied as she slowly got to her feet.

"Not for you Karin, you will head to the fourth division to receive further treatment while I deal with Hinamori-fukutaichō." Unohana smiled at Karin who knew better then to reject orders as she quickly vanished in the direction of the fourth division. "He would be proud of both of you." Unohana muttered under her breath thinking of Karin and her sister who she both held close to her. "Follow me then Hinamori-Fukutaichō and all shall be explained." Unohana added receiving a nod of the head from Hinamori who was still feeling a little overwhelmed at what ahd happened.

-OO-

Urahara Kisuke met the steel gaze of Aizen Sōsuke as Shihōin Yoruichi and Soifon stood to either side of him. Urahara had underestimated Aizen once again as he had somehow managed to break through the reinforced barrier of Seireitei and receive the aid of two very strong Arrancar. What surprised him was that one of the Arrancar had even challenged the head captain and taken the attention of the strongest Shinigami in existence away from Aizen.

"You really think you three can stop me before Negación arrives. You must be surely mistaken; I have hidden my true strength from the eyes of the Gotei 13 for many years." Aizen's smug voice brought an angry look from Soifon while Yoruichi and Urahara ignored the taunt.

"Even with your real strength, you are rather arrogant if you think you can match three captain level Shinigami." Soifon called out growing angry at Aizen.

"Nake, Benihime!" Urahara didn't wait any longer before beginning the battle as an arc-shaped crimson beam of energy shot out of his Zanpakutō and headed straight towards Aizen.

"Bakudō # 81. Dankū" A translucent barrier appeared in front of Aizen and blocked the attack of Urahara with ease and he lazily leant back as the black and gold gauntlet that made up Soifen's Shikai flew past his face. However she suddenly found herself in a world of pain as blood sprayed from her back as Kyōka Suigetsu sliced across her back and she fell to the ground.

"A taichō of the Gotei 13 should know better than that Soifon-taichō. Recklessly charging towards your enemy and being blinded by emotion results in so many openings." Aizen smiled at Yoruichi and Urahara as he stepped away from the still form of Soifon.

"Damn it Soifon, I warned you earlier about his strength." Yoruichi grew angry at Aizen and her former pupil. Urahara inwardly cursed at how easy Soifon had been cast aside and now it was him and Yoruichi to fight Aizen.

"Do you still think you can stop me Urahara Kisuke, Shihōin Yoruichi. My strength is unmatched by anyone other than Yamamoto himself." The smug smile of Aizen never leaving his face as he brought up his Zanpakutō to deflect the blade of Urahara and he easily ducked underneath the kick of Yoruichi who knew Aizen couldn't remove his blade from Urahara's.

"Nake, Benihime" Urahara once again shot another crimson beam at Aizen this time from point blank range as Yoruichi quickly retreated before she was caught in the blast. However Aizen knew that he shouldn't take a point blank attack from Urahara and quickly Shunpoed away.

Yoruichi's eyes widened in surprise as she barely dodged the blade of Aizen and quickly used Shunpo once again to get away from the traitorous captain. "Impressive speed, but it's to be expected from the former commander of the Onmitsukidō and former taichō of the 2nd division." Aizen's smile still hadn't left his face as Urahara appeared next to Yoruichi.

"Enough flattery, Aizen." Yoruichi retorted as both she and Urahara disappeared from the view of Aizen who expertly dodged and blocked the attacks of Yoruichi and Urahara who had Shunpoed towards him. The deadly dance continued for what must have seemed like hours but in reality was more like minutes as Urahara and Yoruichi broke away from Aizen.

Aizen flashed from view and reappeared behind Yoruichi in speed that even surprised the Goddess of Flash herself as she felt the presence of Aizen from behind her. "Hadō #31. Shakkahō." The smug voice of Aizen spoke out as Yoruichi was engulfed in an explosion.

As the smoke cleared Yoruichi was no longer the person standing there but Urahara had taken her place as a crimson barrier had formed in front of him blocking the Kidō from hitting him. "Shunkō!" The familiar voice of Yoruichi called out from behind Urahara as her back and arms were engulfed in pressurized Kidō.

Aizen quickly found the need to Shunpo away as a blast of Kidō form Yoruichi smashed the ground where he once stood however Aizen's eyes widened in surprise as he heard the voice of Urahara from behind. "Shibari, Benihime." With a slash of Urahara's Zanpakutō, Aizen suddenly found himself covered in a crimson net that made it made it almost impossible to move. "Hiasobi, Benihime, Juzutsunagi." Urahara called out as he stabbed the edge of the net creating orbs of fire that began to travel along it and explode as they surrounded Aizen.

"That must have done some damage" Yoruichi said, still covered in her Shunkō as Urahara appeared beside her. The smoke from the explosion cleared and the figure of Aizen came into view and they both looked on in surprise as the only damage he had received was that of his captain's haori burnt off.

"I'm glad I can finally get rid of that Haori" Aizen called out as he looked down on his tattered Haori that lay on the floor. Aizen smiled as Soifon suddenly reappeared beside Yoruichi with a furious look on her face as she muttered apologies under breath towards Yoruichi. "Nice of you to finally re-join us Soifon-taichō although you still seem quite weak thanks to that wound I caused eariler"

"I let my emotions get the better of me, it won't happen again Aizen. You made a mistake allowing me to apply healing Kidō and allow me to get back into the fight." Soifon responded.

"If I wanted to kill you Soifon-taichō, you would be dead already. I have no intention to kill anyone today since I want you all alive to witness the destruction of the Gotei 13 as a whole." Aizen called out, gaining angry looks from the three Shinigami opposite him.

Suddenly all them were brought out of their own little battle as two powerful reiatsu's covered Seireitei and they all turned their heads to witness two huge pillars of reiatsu rose into the clear sky of Soul Society.

"Such incredible power." Urahara muttered as a heavy wind blew across the Sōkyoku Hill blowing his haori wildly.

"It seems the sōtaichō is having a difficult time wouldn't you say." Aizen then said as he faced the direction of where Yamamoto fought Ichigo.

"Tch, Yamamoto-sōtaichō is probably just humouring your pathetic hollow follower before he erases his entire existence." Soifon retorted as she witnessed Yamamoto release more power then she had ever seen him release.

"Don't be arrogant Soifon; it's obvious that this Arrancar is strong if he forcing Yamamoto-sōtaichō to release this much reiatsu and he is matching it himself." Yoruichi scolded her former pupil who now had a defeated look on her face after being scolded by her idol.

"How can a hollow release this much reiatsu and be able to match the sōtaichō, only the most powerful Vasto Lorde class hollows might be able to do that but they are only meant to be a legend." Urahara said as he turned to face Aizen once again.

"Vasto Lorde's are few and far between in Hueco Mundo and according to the legends of Seireitei only a few are amongst a higher class of Vasto Lorde that can match the strongest of taichō's". Aizen replied as his eyes locked with Urahara's.

"You're telling me that you found a hollow capable of matching the sōtaichō?" Soifon called out as she peeled her eyes away from the mesmerising reiatsu of the Yamamoto.

"If he was still just a Vasto Lorde than he would have been no match for the sōtaichō but when I turned him into an Arrancar I unleashed his true power and perhaps now he is a match for Yamamoto. He is a special case and I can imagine it will cause some surprise amongst the older members of the Gotei 13 when they learn of his identity." Aizen continued.

"What do you mean by that Aizen and why would a hollow that powerful want to follow a Shinigami such as yourself." Yoruichi said as her eyes narrowed at Aizen's former statement.

"I unlocked his true power and potential and in return he follows me which the way in which the hollow hierarchy works. The most powerful are at the top and they rule with an iron fist so to speak and as I said before he is a special case and I wouldn't want to spoil the surprise by revealing who he is." Aizen's smug smile retuned once more at seeing the expressions on the opposing Shinigami.

"And what's stopping him from simply killing you if he is as powerful as you say." Urahara then said.

"I have my ways of making sure my followers don't get to power hungry and that is to give them what they want, within reason of course. I get their power and fighting abilities and all it takes to keep them serving under me is to keep them happy. However if one was to betray my trust then I also have my ways of stopping them and if need be killing them. I'm sure you are now all aware of the true ability of my Zanpakutō." Aizen responded.

"So by using Kyōka Suigetsu you make them think they have whatever they need so they see no reason to turn against you." Yoruichi continued.

"You are correct Shihōin Yoruichi; perhaps a demonstration is in order. Shatter, Kyōka Suigetsu." Aizen called out the release phrase of his Zanpakutō before the three Shinigami could avoid seeing it once again.


	9. Soul Society 5: The Fight

**My computer issues have been fixed so I hope I can be back to regular updates now. This chapter won't be as long as my usual chapters since it only contains Ichigo v Yamamoto with a slight bit about other characters and was originally meant to be a part of last chapter.**

It didn't take long for Ichigo to settle on a suitable spot for what was about to take place. He stood in an empty courtyard which was surrounded by large walls on all sides and he knew nobody would get in the way of him or his opponent. Ichigo could still feel the heat slightly from the attack he had deflected just moments before and it might have looked that he did it with ease to those present at the time but he had been forced to use more strength then he thought he would have. Ichigo didn't have to wait long as the elderly figure of Yamamoto appeared across from him, his Zanpakutō sheathed once again at his side. Ichigo's grip tightened around his own Zanpakutō as he felt the heat emanate from the Shinigami opposite him.

"I admire your courage for being the one to challenge the sōtaichō of Soul Society but it is that same courage that will be your downfall." Yamamoto's loud voice brought no reaction from the Arrancar he was currently analysing. To the inexperienced the Arrancar might have looked like he was underestimating Yamamoto and wasn't ready for a fight as he stood lazily with his Zanpakutō held down by his side. However Yamamoto knew that the Arrancar held a vast amount of power just from sensing his reiatsu alone and he could tell that the Arrancar had been through his fair share of battles.

"Calling me out to battle will be yours and Aizen's biggest mistake. There is no being alive that can stand up to the flames of Ryūjin Jakka and you and the traitor shall be ashes beneath my feet before too long. I shall give you the honour of knowing the name of person that shall bring you to justice, my name is Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni." Yamamoto continued.

As Ichigo heard the name of the powerful Shinigami that stood before him he was instantly bombarded with emotions and quick flashes of what seemed to be memories of another person and he saw the same Shinigami that was presently stood before him flash through his mind. Ichigo thought back to when he first lay eyes on the female taichō back on the hill and what had happened to him then. However he quickly got rid of any other thoughts then the situation he now found himself in since he knew he couldn't take his eyes off Yamamoto or he would lose his life.

Ichigo inwardly cursed once again at his split second lack of concentration as he felt the heat of Ryūjin Jakka close in around him as Yamamoto released more reiatsu and both fighters were now surrounded by a wall of flame and the atmosphere itself seemed to burn from the intense heat. Ichigo's grip tightened as realized Yamamoto had discarded his upper Haori which revealed his scarred and muscled torso.

Anyone else would have been caught by surprise at how fast the elderly looking Shinigami had moved but Ichigo had managed to keep his eyes locked onto Yamamoto as he brought his Zanpakutō up above his head as Ryūjin Jakka smashed into it forcing Ichigo to bring his other hand up or risk being pushed back as the ground below him smashed from the power both combatants were releasing and a huge shockwave smashed into the stone walls of the courtyard they occupied producing huge cracks along all fours walls.

-OO-

Karin couldn't help but be amazed at the reiatsu that the sōtaichō and his opponent was releasing. Karin had jumped to the roof of the 13th division barracks as she tried to get a view on battle that was about to take place not too far from the 10th division grounds. As she took in the feel of both reiatsu she couldn't help but feel something familiar from the person opposing the sōtaichō however she quickly got rid of any notion of knowing a hollow. "This reiatsu is incredible, even from this far it feels suffocating." A feminine voice broke Karin out of her awe and she turned her head to see the two third-seat Shinigami that had appeared behind her. Kotetsu Kiyone, the younger sister of Isane, was a small women with short dark blonde hair and grey eyes while a tall dark haired man with a goatee named Kotsubaki Sentarō stood beside her.

"What do you expect, it is the sōtaichō after all. His reiatsu alone could make you feel like that never mind both him and his opponent. It is truly something else seeing Yamamoto-sōtaichō release his Zanpakutō." Karin responded as she turned back towards Yamamoto and his opponent.

"You say that as if you've seen him do it before, fukutaichō" Sentarō wondered when Karin could have witnessed the release of Ryūjin Jakka since he hadn't been forced into a fight for numerous years.

"It was a long time ago before I joined the Gotei 13" Karin began as she witnessed the flames of Ryūjin Jakka rise in the distance and a shockwave blew past her blowing her shihakushō wildly and forcing Kiyone and Sentarō nearly be blown back as panicked cries and shouts could be heard from the 13th division barracks, "this is only the calm before the storm."

-OO-

Ichigo steadied himself once again as Yamamoto brought Ryūjin Jakka in a downwards strike aiming to cleave Ichigo in two only for Ichigo to hold firm as another shockwave rocked the courtyard. Ichigo broke from the deadlock as he appeared behind Yamamoto using Sonīdo as he aimed a swift strike down towards his neck only for Yamamoto to easily block and push Ichigo away who ducked under another swing of Ryūjin Jakka.

The stone ground beneath them cracked once again both Zanpakutō clashed once again as Ichigo moved his head to the side to dodge the expertly thrown punch of Yamamoto as Ichigo aimed to push Yamamoto back seeing him release both hands form his sword for the first time since the start of their fight however he barely felt the bony finger of Yamamoto touch his shoulder and heard the faint whisper as Ichigo barely managed to Sonīdo away before a powerful Sōkatsui fired straight into the wall blowing a huge hole into it.

Not giving Yamamoto a chance to let up Ichigo once again used Sonīdo in a speed that most people wouldn't even be able to see appeared to the side of Yamamoto who brought Ryūjin Jakka around to block the upwards swing of Ichigo. Collision after collision sparks flew as Yamamoto and Ichigo aimed to end one another's lives only for the expert defence of both fighters to come out on top as neither person managed to find an opening.

AS both fighters entered a deadlock once again Yamamoto's eyes widened as Ichigo removed one hand from his Zanpakutō and pointed a long finger straight at the chest of Yamamoto as a black Cero began to form at the end of his finger as Yamamoto brought up a hand of his own and placed his palm in front of the pitch black cero.

"Cero!"

"Dankū!"

The courtyard was engulfed in smoke and dust as the huge explosion shock the very earth as nearly every Shinigami in Seireitei felt the ground shake. As the surroundings cleared Ichigo and Yamamoto found themselves stood on either side of a giant crater as the courtyard where they had started the fight had now been reduced to rubble as the large stone walls that had once surrounded them were now only piles of rubble. Taking in the damage to each other Ichigo watched the burn mark on his hand disappear thanks to his regeneration and Yamamoto seemed to not be effected by the large burn on his own hand.

"I guess you would like to know the name of the person who you will supposedly bring to justice." Ichigo began feeling that numerous battles had broken out on the hill where he arrived as he slowly reached up towards the hood that currently covered his head. "My name is Kurosaki Ichigo." He finished as he removed his hood that had somehow stayed up during the fight.

Yamamoto's eyes widened in surprise as he lay eyes on a face and strawberry coloured hair that he hadn't seen in many a year. There wasn't a day that went by for Yamamoto that he didn't think about that night all those years ago and he wished it could have ended so much differently. "Kurosaki Ichigo. It's been a long time since I've heard that name." Yamamoto's loud voice cut the silence that had engulfed the area.

"You say that is if you know me." Ichigo responded as he narrowed his eyes as his strawberry hair blew wildly in the wind.

"I see, even becoming an Arrancar has not giving you back the memories you once held. Perhaps that is for the best as it shall be easier this way." Yamamoto replied.

"I see you won't be willing to share happy memories. It matters not of my life before since I'm a hollow now and nothing will change that. Perhaps it's time for us to stop feeling each other out and go all out." Ichigo replied as he tightened his grip on his Zanpakutō.

"If you think you will make me release my Bankai then you are mistaken." Yamamoto responded tightening his own grip as his reiatsu began to flair outwards.

"We shall see about that Yamamoto" Ichigo spoke as he was suddenly engulfed in a tower of reiatsu as Yamamoto also did the same as both towers of reiatsu rose into the sky for all of Soul Society to see the two behemoths match one another.

-OO-

All around Seireitei everyone turned towards the two columns of reiatsu disrupt the normal peaceful blue sky of Soul Society. One particular Shinigami was a female of average height with light brown hair which she held in a long ponytail with dark brown eyes. She wore a normal shihakushō with a light blue belt around her waist which her Zanpakutō hung from. Her Zanpakutō was a normal katana with a mainly black sheath and handle with thin light blue lines reaching form the top of the sheath to the bottom of the handle.

"I've never felt anything like it, even from this far away it feels like we are right in middle of the battle huh Yuzu." Kotetsu Isane said as she stood next to her long-time friend.

"I agree Isane, for someone to match Yamamoto-sōtaichō this much is incredible but got to believe in the sōtaichō. He is the most powerful Shinigami alive so if he can't win then no once can." Yuzu replied although she couldn't help but feel something familiar from whoever it was fighting Yamamoto and she made a mental note to ask her sister later on.

"Kotetsu-fukutaichō, Third-seat Kurosaki!" Yuzu's thoughts were interrupted as she turned to see a young looking girl run up to her and Isane, "Abarai-fukutaichō and 13th division fourth seat Kuchiki Rukia have been brought in and need medical attention and we also have numerous Ryoka who were apparently told to wait here by Unohana-taichō." The girl finished as she panted heavily.

"Understood we'll see to them immediately" Isane answered finally turning her attention away from the battle taking place in the distance.

-OO-

The two columns of reiatsu suddenly disappeared as what seemed like calm overtook the area but to anyone that could see it knew it was the calm before the storm as what sounded like a huge explosion could be heard throughout Seireitei signalling the beginning of battle once more as the two Zanpakutō collided once again. Ichigo quickly found himself on the back foot as he expertly dodged every stab and swing of Ryūjin Jakka that was sent his way and suddenly brought his Zanpakutō up to block a deadly swing from Yamamoto and then parried another punch that came his way using his own hand.

Ichigo finally used Sonīdo to put some distance between himself and Yamamoto but soon found himself in danger once again as with a wave of Ryūjin Jakka a huge line of flame shot towards Ichigo surprising him this time as it was much stronger and faster than the one he had deflected with ease on Sōkyoku Hill and he barely managed to Sonīdo away from the inferno however not without suffering a heavy burn to his right arm but Ichigo knew he could regenerate it with ease.

Although he knew it wasn't that bad of damage he knew that Yamamoto was getting the upper hand with Ichigo not using his Resurrección but he wasn't going to let that get to him as appeared before Yamamoto with even greater speed then he had used earlier which seemed to catch Yamamoto off guard as he barely parried Ichigo's stab but still received a slight cut to his ribcage area which Ichigo knew wouldn't trouble the powerful Shinigami.

Once again Ichigo and Yamamoto found themselves with locked blades as Ichigo once more removed one hand from his Zanpakutō brought a finger up to face of Yamamoto who reacted the same as he did the first time Ichigo had attempted this but a smile suddenly crept upon Ichigo's face alerting Yamamoto that Ichigo was planning something else but it was too late to stop as Ichigo suddenly closed his hand into a fist and the cero engulfed his hand as Yamamoto's eyes widened haven't not witnessed something like that before and Ichigo through his cero empowered punch towards Yamamoto who brought his hand up to try and block as much damage as he could as he was engulfed in an explosion as Ichigo jumped back.

As the smoke cleared Yamamoto's left hand was covered in blood and burned marks littered his torso but Ichigo was surprised when he gripped Ryūjin Jakka with his left hand without giving it a second thought. Ichigo found himself forced to block once again as Yamamoto appeared before him using Shunpo and swung angrily at Ichigo pushing him back slightly.

Blow after blow could be felt for miles as Ichigo and Yamamoto smashed together over and over aiming to find an opening as both fighters were littered in small cuts and burns. Yamamoto suddenly used Shunpo to appear behind Ichigo aiming another line of intense fire towards Ichigo who brought his Zanpakutō up in preparation to cut through the flame but was surprised as the flame suddenly changed direction and Yamamoto appeared in front Ichigo taking him by surprise as their blades locked once again. "Ikkotsu" Yamamoto called out as Ichigo felt numerous ribs break as the first of Yamamoto collided with his chest forcing Ichigo sliding back.

Getting to his feet Ichigo found himself in pain as he looked down to find a piece of his rib cage sticking from his skin as his Haori had been blown to shred from the impact as blood poured down his chest.

"You do well to still be standing straight after that attack but it seems out fight will be interrupted." Yamamoto said as he and Ichigo turned to face Unohana who had just appeared next to them.

Unohana still couldn't quite believe what she was seeing as she stared at Ichigo. "It's truly you Ichigo"

"Yet another Shinigami who apparently knows me" Ichigo replied as once again numerous things flashed through his head as he was unable to make sense of any of it and he noticed Unohana's face sadden at hearing Ichigo couldn't remember anything of his past.

"It's a shame you don't remember and it looks like our time will be cut short" Unohana responded in a sad voice as the sky above Ichigo suddenly ripped open as Negación engulfed Ichigo.

"It seems so, it looks like your fellow taichō's have also failed in stopping Aizen," Ichigo began as he witnessed four Negación come down on Sōkyoku Hill as began to rise towards the hole in the sky, "Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni next time we meet I will not hold back which means neither shall you, it has been an interesting experience coming here" he continued as he turned to face Unohana, "Goodbye Shinigami."

"My name is not Shinigami, it's Unohana Retsu or Yachiru as you used to prefer." Unohana replied as Ichigo disappeared through the hole to Hueco Mundo.

Ichigo landed on the sand of Hueco Mundo and he gripped his head as image after image shot through his mind of one person in particular as soon as she said her name. Unohana Yachiru.

**I hope it was as good as you guys hoped since it was my toughest chapter to write so far since I still don't want to give too much away about Ichigo's background just yet in terms of details but you will find out a lot more in the next few chapters. The fight was also extremely hard to write since I wanted them to seem incredibly powerful but not going all out so I hope I captured that feeling. I also wrote a tiny bit about Yuzu and where she is and bother her and Karin will be getting more exposure in the next few chapters since I have good plans for both of them. **

**I'm also probably not going to finish writing the other fights unless a lot of you want them to be done then I might consider it but as of now the next chapter will include Espada meeting and Captains meeting. **


	10. Meetings

**Thanks to everyone who has reviewed and followed my story as it means a great deal to me and I honestly never thought it would be this popular.**

The only thing of note in the main meeting hall of Las Noches was the long metal table that sat in the middle of the large room. The rectangle shaped table had eleven seats placed around it with a large throne like chair at the head which was meant for whoever would lead the meetings. The air was thick with tension as nine of the eleven seats were currently occupied by numerous Arrancar of ranging power levels. Three of those Arrancar were all currently wondering the same thing and that was where a certain strawberry haired person was and why he was late for the very first Espada meeting. Others at the table were more wondering about what number they would be given and what would be discussed by Aizen while some were frustrated at being kept waiting by a Shinigami.

Harribel and Nel were both wondering the same thing and that was about what Starrk and Ichigo had been up to since they had both felt them leave Las Noches and although Starrk was now present at the table they both wondered about the wellbeing of Ichigo considering what Zemi had told them a few hours ago.

-OO-

Harribel stood on the balcony of her private palace that overlooked the golden sand of Las Noches as Nel stood beside her and the loud voices of her Fracción could be heard from the room behind her as they more than likely argued over something trivial. The two female Arrancar had begun chatting to one another a few days ago and both Arrancar learned that they appreciated the company of one another.

"Aizen is set to return to Las Noches sometime soon and it can't be coincidence that both Starrk and Ichigo leave Hueco Mundo but why wouldn't they ask for any of the other Espada's help." Nel spoke as she gazed out towards Las Noches.

"Perhaps they didn't need assistance, Starrk and Ichigo are no doubt the two most powerful Arrancar in all of Hueco Mundo so if they can't handle it then I'm not sure who would." Harribel responded in her usual tone as she stood with her eyes closed and her arms folded under her breasts.

"I suppose you are right Harribel but I'm curious as to where they could have gone since they must have known Aizen was returning and would want to call a meeting." Nel continued as she joined Harribel in closing her eyes in thought.

"Then perhaps it is Aizen who they have gone to see. Maybe something has went wrong." Harribel replied once more.

"That could explain it although I thought Aizen had it all planned out and when I talked to Ichigo a few hours ago he didn't mention anything about him leaving Las Noches." As Nel spoke both her and Harribel opened their eyes in sync as they barely felt Ichigo and Starrk return to Las Noches. Worried looks flashed across their faces as they examined the Reiatsu of Ichigo, it didn't feel its usual calm self but they now felt anger and fury radiating out from him and they both wondered what had happened to him.

Both Harribel and Nel stood in silence trying to make light of what could have possibly happened that would cause Ichigo to be angry and they realised how much Reiatsu he must have been emitting as the walls of each palace were meant to keep people sensing Reiatsu through which neither Nel or Harribel knew why they had been made like that but they didn't really care at the present moment as their minds were elsewhere. They were both rocked from their thoughts by a loud knock at the main doors to the palace and they both realized that they had been stuck in their thoughts for a good ten minutes or so.

Both turning around and walking into the large room they both knew who was on the other side of the door and were curious as to why she was here. Sung-sun rose from her seat as Apache and Mila-rose ceased their current conversation and opened the large door to reveal a shaken Zemi who brushed past Sung-sun and entered the room.

"What's happened Zemi?" Nel asked with a serious tone at seeing the expression of the Arrancar Ichigo held very close to him.

"I…It's I…Ichigo, I've never seen him like this Nelliel-Sama" Zemi barely managed to control her voice as she stood before Nel and Harribel.

"What happened to him?" This time it was Harribel who asked the question.

"I was wondering where he had gone to since he normally would tell me if he had to leave me on my own and I didn't even sense him return because I was so caught up in my thoughts and it wasn't till his reiatsu smothered me that I knew he was back. I could barely stand under its weight as he eventually entered the palace but it was his appearance that worried me the most. He had lost his upper Jacket and his torso was littered in cuts and blood which for some reason hadn't regenerated and parts of his ribs were sticking from his chest." Zemi answered as she shivered at remembering the image of Ichigo's body.

All the other Arrancar present were all wondering the same thing and that was who or what could have done something like that to Ichigo with him being as strong as he was. Harribel's three Fracción were bombarded with thoughts of someone giving Ichigo a run for his money while Harribel and Nel were both silently worrying about the well being of Ichigo as Zemi took the silence as her queue to continue.

"I didn't even get a chance to ask him what happened or how he was before he shouted for me to leave and I knew in his current mood I shouldn't disobey him so that's why I came here." Zemi finished as she waited to find out what Harribel and Nel would do.

"Well it sounds like we shouldn't bother him for a good while since we don't know how he will react to us disturbing him." Nel responded still with a worried look plastered on her face.

"I agree with Nelliel, Aizen will no doubt call a meeting soon so we should at least wait till then. For now you are welcome to spend some time here." Harribel agreed with her fellow Espada.

-OO-

To the others at the table it might have looked like Starrk was sleeping but in reality he was thinking about what had taken place in Soul Society. He hadn't seen Ichigo since he had challenged the Head Captain and he had felt the change in his Reiatsu from before they had went to Soul Society and when they returned and he was wondering how Ichigo's fight had gone.

That wasn't the only thing that was running through Starrk's head as he was still processing what the two captains had told him after he had revealed Ichigo's name. He wasn't sure if he should confront Ichigo about what he had learned and he wondered if it would change anything if Ichigo remembered anything about his past. He also wondered if the female captain that had went after Ichigo had mentioned anything to him before he left Soul Society and maybe that was why Ichigo was angry. The only sensible option that Starrk could see at this point was to see how Ichigo reacted before he decided if he was to mention anything to Ichigo about his past.

Starrk was forced form his thoughts as the large doors on one side of hall opened up and Aizen Sōsuke entered the large hall flanked on either side by his loyal followers Kaname Tōsen and Ichimaru Gin. Every one present in the room turned towards the three Shinigami as they took in the change in Aizen's appearance. He no longer wore glasses and his hair was now swept back and he now wore Arrancar clothing over his usual shihakushō. Taking a seat at the head of table Aizen quickly glanced to the seat to his right which was currently empty but showed no outward reaction as his usual stoic expression remained on his face.

"My dear Espada it is a pleasure to welcome you all together for the first time however it seems we have an empty place." Aizen greeted the Arrancar sat at the table but before he could continue the main doors slammed open and Ichigo entered the room with an angry look upon his usual expressionless face as he silently walked to the remaining empty seat ignoring the glares sent at him by certain people at the table.

"Huh, you should apologise for keeping us and Aizen-sama waiting weakling." Ichigo didn't even react and kept his eyes closed as a loud deep voice shouted at Ichigo from the other end of the table.

"Silence Yammy and let Aizen-sama speak." A monotone voice spoke up as Ichigo took note of the name of the person that had spoken out against him.

"Thank you Ulquiorra but I would watch how you speak to those stronger then yourself Yammy. I'll let Ichigo off this once as I'm sure fighting the sōtaichō of Soul Society took its toll on him." Aizen responded as everyone's eyes visibly widened apart from Ulquiorra's and Starrk's as they heard who Ichigo had been fighting. Aizen noticed that even the more bloodthirsty people at the table in Grimmjow and Nnoitra didn't make any off handed comments and even Yammy kept his mouth closed. Everyone in the room knew that Captains were the strongest and most elite of the Shinigami and they knew that the Head Captain was even a step above a normal Captain and even Nnoitra and Grimmjow doubted they would hold any chance of surviving against the Head Captain from rumours they had heard.

Ichigo couldn't help but feel that Aizen was kind of right about the fight taking its toll however the fight wasn't the only thing playing on Ichigo's mind. It had taken a surprisingly long time for the wounds he suffered at the hands of Yamamoto to heal due to the heat from Yamamoto's Zanpakutō effecting the cuts. Ichigo could easily shrug off the cuts he received but it was final blow Yamamoto had sent at him that had affected him the most. The punch to his chest had done some serious damage and Ichigo couldn't help but feel relieved that Negación had come a moment later and this made Ichigo feel frustrated. He couldn't help but feel like he wasn't a match to Yamamoto without releasing his sword and the only way to fix this was to get stronger.

The other thing that was troubling Ichigo was the female Shinigami that he couldn't get out of his head. When he had first laid eyes on her he felt that he recognised her from somewhere but he knew that it had to be impossible however when she had interrupted his fight with Yamamoto and told him her name that feeling was strengthened. Since hearing her name Ichigo felt that things were coming back to him as images of not only her but Yamamoto came into his head with them looking younger and Ichigo couldn't help but feel troubled as to what was to come as he was brought back to present matters as he realised he hadn't been listening to Aizen.

"…will be key to fight against the Shinigami and is the key to building our army." Ichigo turned his attention to Aizen who held the Hōgyoku in his hand. "You will already have seen the power of the Hōgyoku with the ability of turning hollows into Arrancar but that is only a small sliver of what it is capable of however it still needs to fully awaken for me to be able to access that power. The reason me, Gin and Kaname still stayed in Soul Society for this amount of time was to wait for another Hōgyoku to fall into my hands made by Urahara Kisuke." Aizen continued his speech receiving a mixed amount of interest from the audience of Arrancar.

"The reason for wanting the other Hōgyoku was that the two separate versions couldn't reach it's max potential so conjoining the two together allows it to fully awaken however it is still a number of weeks from getting anywhere close to its full power."

"Is there no experiments we could try that might speed up the awakening process." A voice spoke up form Ichigo's right as he recognised it as the scientist that had helped him and Starrk reach Soul Society.

"I can assure you, Szayelaporro that I have tried everything in my power however it is a curious object that mere science cannot effect." Aizen replied, as Ichigo noticed that Aizen seemed like a madman as he stared at the Hōgyoku it looked like Starrk had also noticed how much the Hōgyoku meant to Aizen as Aizen slipped the Hōgyoku into his pocket showing that he was moving on to a different topic.

"Another reason I called this meeting today was to assign what ranks you will all receive in the Espada and I'm sure you are all interested in finding out. You will all receive a tattoo bearing the number you have been assigned which will act as a representation of you being a member of the Espada and now I want you all to concentrate on the place you wish for the tattoo to be placed." Aizen ordered.

Noticing certain members of the Espada closed their eyes to concentrate while others kept the same expression they had when the meeting first began Ichigo noticed that Aizen stretched his palm out towards the center of the table and began muttering something under his breath which Ichigo couldn't make out and then Aizen's palm was engulfed in a black light which after a few seconds disappeared as Ichigo received a flash of a image of a Gothic looking number one tattooed above the hollow hole on his chest.

"Now my dear Espada please introduce yourselves along with the rank you have been given." Aizen ordered once more as he leant back in his chair with a smile on his face.

"Diez Espada, Yammy Llargo!" Yammy shouted out with a look of disgust as he realised he was the weakest rank amongst the Espada. Ichigo noticed that he was by far the largest of the current Espada with tanned skin and a ridge-lined cranium, brown eyes and black hair. He had long, bushy sideburns and a thin ponytail reaching his upper-back but apart from that he was bald. He also had orange eye brows and red markings under his eyes and wore the standard Espada uniform with his jacket left open showing the large hollow hole on his chest what remained of his Hollow mask was a jawbone which rests on his chin.

"Noveno Espada, Szayelaporro Granz." Szayel introduced himself next as he didn't seem too bothered about the rank he had been given.

"Octava Espada, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez!" Grimmjow called out seemingly as unhappy as Yammy at being so far down the Espada. Ichigo noticed he had light blue spiky hair and light blue eyes with green lines below them and he wore a white hakama, a black sash and a ragged white jacket with an upturned collar and the sleeves rolled up and he wore it open, leaving his chest exposed. The remains of his Hollow mask consisted of a right jawbone, and his Hollow hole is located on his abdomen.

"Séptima Espada, Nnoitra Gilga." A disgusted voice spoke up next as Ichigo recognised the name of the person that had threatened Zemi a while back and could see him glaring at Nel from across the table after learning he was lower ranked then her. He was a very tall person with black hair that hung past his shoulders, concealing the left side of his face and a large white eye patch with one exposed dark grey eye. He wore a modified Arrancar jacket with an overblown spoon-like hood and an opening starting at the neckline, showing most of his midsection, and closing at his waist. He also wore the standard hakama, but the ends of his pant legs close inside extended and curved boots.

"Sexta Espada, Ulquiorra Cifer." Ulquiorra spoke next with his usual expressionless voice. He had fairly short, messy black hair with pale white skin, a black upper lip and green eyes. Part of his bangs falls between his eyes, and he has distinctively thick eyebrows with teal lines which descend from the lower part of his eyes. He wore typical Arrancar clothes in a white jacket with a large collar, a black sash and a white hakama. His Hollow hole could be seen on the base of his throat and the remainder of his Hollow mask lay on the top-left side of his head forming a broken horned helmet.

"Quinto Espada, Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck." Nel introduced herself next with a smile as she ignored the glare from Nnoitra sent her way.

"Cuatro Espada, Tier Harribel." Harribel went next as she revealed her rank which didn't surprise Ichigo as he knew she was powerful as they locked eyes for a split second but it was enough time for Ichigo to see the worry in Harribel.

"Tres Espada, Barragan Louisenbairn." Ichigo met the glare sent his way from Barragan who quickly turned away after remembering how their last encounter went. Barragan had the appearance of an elderly man with a white moustache and white hair and his face was lined by large scars on the left side of his chin and across his right eye. He wore a regal white leather coat with black fur lining which had short sleeves and three black fur stripes running along the bottom. He also wore a golden wrist band on both wrists and a belt which consists of three thick chains attached to a large metal disk with a sun emblem. The remnants of his Hollow mask took the form of a five-pointed crown just above his forehead.

"Segunda Espada, Coyote Starrk." The lazy voice of Starrk spoke up next from where he sat opposite Ichigo.

"Primera Espada, Kurosaki Ichigo." Ichigo introduced himself to his fellow Espada as he ignored glares sent his way from certain people unhappy that he was the Primera. By now Ichigo was just tired of the meeting and was hoping it would be over soon so he could finally get some rest however Aizen had other ideas.

"Now there is one more thing I wish to mention in this meeting and that is the Privaron Espada. They are Arrancar that were once members of the Espada before you were all currently recruited. Enter and introduce yourselves Privaron." Aizen spoke as everyone's attention turned towards the large doors that suddenly opened as five figures walked through and stood in a line as if being inspected.

"Arrancar 102, Zommari Rureaux." The first person spoke in a deep voice and he was dark-skinned with slightly larger lips than other Arrancar and was also bald with golden yellow eyes. His uniform consisted of a long mandarin-style Arrancar jacket with a small opening at his chest area and a default hakama like all other Arrancar. Zommari has three triangle-shaped tattoos on his chin and he also has four lines running down from his forehead directly above his eyes that end with dots appearing as exclamation points. These are on both sides of his head, giving him a total of eight lines. The remnants of his Hollow mask consisted of a row of bony spikes along the crest of his head forming something similar to a Mohawk hairstyle along with a pair of skull-shaped earrings and a thick bony necklace.

"Arrancar 103, Dordoni Alessandro Del Socaccio." The second member spoke up as he bowed. He had black hair and blue eyes and his hair resembled a pair of horns and he had a small beard and moustache. The remains of his Hollow mask consisted of a small plate on his forehead that had horns mirroring those in his hair. He wore a normal Arrancar outfit customised with fringes on the forearm portion of the sleeves, a red sash tied at his waist, shoulder pads and openings down the front which revealed his black undershirt.

"Arrancar 104, **Aaroniero Arruruerie**." The third person introduced himself as Ichigo noticed it sounded like two different people speaking. He wore a long elongated white mask covered with eight holes. He wore a customized Arrancar outfit with a dress garb that covered his entire body as opposed to the normal jacket and hakama. He also wore a nobles' coat that acted as his replacement jacket and a single white gentleman's glove.

"Arrancar 105, Cirucci Sanderwicci." The only female member of the Privaron went next as she introduced herself. She had short purple coloured hair, purple coloured eyes and light purple teardrop markings on each cheek. Her outfit consisted of a frilly dress with large sleeves that cut off at her shoulder and a pair of knee-high boots. She also wore fingerless, evening-style gloves, as well as leg warmers that attached to garters at her thighs and also had wings on her back. The remains of her Hollow mask were positioned in her hair right above the left side of her forehead and resembled a spiked hairpin.

"Arrancar 107, Gantenbainne Mosqueda." The last member of the Privaron introduced himself. He had brown eyes and a big orange afro haircut with thick sideburns and a goatee. His outfit had been modified to match his particular style, including large frills on his collar and thighs. The remains of his Hollow mask were a sunglasses shaped plate on his forehead with four teeth coming out above each eye.

"For now that will be all to this meeting, it shall be a few weeks before we make our first move due to the Hōgyoku so for now I suggest you all prepare for what is to come." Everyone turned their attention towards Aizen once more as he raised from his seat swiftly made his way from the room followed by Gin and Tōsen.

The remaining Espada sat silently as they watched Aizen leave as Harribel turned her attention to Ichigo however only an empty seat remained as she noticed Ichigo leave past the Privaron not giving them a second glance and turn down the corridor. She also noticed Starrk and Nel looking towards the door Ichigo had just left through as the other Espada took their leave from the room.

-OO-

The Espada meeting room wasn't the only place filled with tension as the Captains and Lieutenants of Soul Society stood in their usual places inside the first division barracks as they waited for Yamamoto who had called a meeting. A few hours had passed since Aizen had escaped Soul Society and everyone in Seireitei was wondering what would happen now. Everyone that needed medical attention had received it after the battles on Sōkyoku hill so it was only a matter of time before a meeting was called.

Kotetsu Isane was worried for a different number of reasons. Since she had become a Shinigami she had never witnessed something of this magnitude happen in Seireitei considering three Captains had turned against their fellow Shinigami and had succeeded in escaping and siding with Hollows. Another thing that worried Isane was her Captain, she had felt her Captain head towards the epic battle between Yamamoto and Ichigo and since returning to the fourth division barracks Unohana hadn't said a word to anyone and had sat in her room since returning and after sensing her furious reiatsu no one dared to disturb. Isane wondered what had happened and who the Hollow was that could survive against Yamamoto and get a reaction like that from her usual calm Captain.

Isane wasn't the only one with numerous thoughts running through her head as Karin stood behind her Captain in her usual spot. Karin still couldn't get rid of the feeling she had first felt when Yamamoto and fought the Arrancar and her sister Yuzu also felt the same way about the reiatsu feeling nostalgic. She had asked her Captain before the meeting if he knew anything and he said he didn't but Karin knew he was hiding something. Her captain hadn't been his usual self which might have seemed normal considering what had taken place but she couldn't help but feel there was something else there. Karin had also felt Unohana head towards the fight and she couldn't help but notice the change in the usual calm Captain and Karin knew there could only be one person to make Unohana react like that but she knew that had to be impossible after all she had been told he was dead.

The loud noise of the doors opening brought Karin form her thoughts as Yamamoto entered followed by Urahara Kisuke who took a place beside Kyōraku. Yamamoto couldn't help but feel that this was one of the toughest times he had faced as Head Captain due to three traitorous captains escaping Soul Society and himself failing to stop Ichigo. He could feel a lot of mixed reactions from the Captains and he knew he would have to make the correct decisions to appease them. He could also feel a slight hint of anger from Unohana after their confrontation once Ichigo had left and he knew she would be upset after seeing him for the first time in a long time.

"Taichō's and fukutaichō's, today is a dark day in the history of Soul Society as never before have three Taichō's turned against the Gotei 13. Not only did they turn against their fellow Shinigami but they have joined forces with Hollows and have a powerful object in their possession in the Hōgyoku. The Hōgyoku is capable of blurring the lines of what it means to be a Shinigami and Hollow as it gives a Shinigami the abilities of a hollow. The two Arrancar that invaded Seireitei Urahara Kisuke believes they were products of the Hōgyoku." Yamamoto began the meeting in his usual stern voice as everyone listened with interest at what the Hōgyoku is capable of.

"We are unaware of what Aizen's ultimate goal might be but for now we are to look into every possibility of what it might be and to help us in this time and due to the deaths to the members of Central 46 I have decided to allow the once exiled Urahara Kisuke and Yoruichi Shihōin access to Soul Society once again however they have both decided to stay in the human world in case Aizen's ultimate goal is in the human world." Seeing no objections apart from a slight groan from Kurotsuchi Mayuri Yamamoto continued, "I have also decided to allow the Ryoka to return home even after invading Seireitei they played a part in stopping the wrongful death of Kuchiki Rukia and they will prove useful allies in the protection of the human realm.

"We now have three Taichō positions free which makes the Gotei 13 significantly weaker so I will ask if any of the current Taichō's have any recommendations for one of the free spots." Yamamoto continued as he waited for anyone to speak up.

"I would like to recommend my own Fukutaichō Kurosaki Karin for the position of 5th division Taichō." Ukitake stepped forward from his place in line as he ignored the surprised looks from Unohana and Kyōraku and he knew why they looked at him like that as they didn't know how she would react to finding out Ichigo was alive albeit an Arrancar. Karin's eyes widened in surprise as she heard her Captain recommend even if she was arguably the strongest Lieutenant she wasn't sure if she could lead a whole division on her own as she also noted the surprised looks on the other two experienced Captains.

"Your recommendation is noted and she will take the Taichō's proficiency test in the next few days to see if she is up to the task. Is there any other recommendations?" Yamamoto responded as he couldn't help but feel disappointed at the lack of response to new captains. "Then that will be all for the meeting, I suggest you all begin training not only your own divisions but yourselves if today's battles were anything to go by. Dismissed!" Yamamoto's cane collided with the wooden floor signalling the end to the meeting as everyone began to file out.

-OO-

Elsewhere in Soul Society another meeting had been taking place although nowhere near as significant as the one taking place in the first division as this was a meeting between friends who had been through a lot in the past few days. The group of friends including Arisawa Tatsuki, Inoue Orihime, Ishida Uryū, Sado Yasutora, Kuchiki Rukia and now Kurosaki Yuzu had been added to the list after finding out Rukia was friends with them had been talking for quite a while since Rukia had arrived to see if the four humans were alright.

"So you learnt Bankai after only three days then Tatsuki, that's impressive considering it usually takes a lot of years for Shinigami to develop Bankai and even then it's only a select few." Yuzu said in her usual cheerful voice as Rukia agreed.

"Well your brother didn't seem too impressed by it even while I kicked his ass." Tatsuki replied laughing at Rukia's reaction. "So is it only Taichō's that have Bankai then?" Tatsuki then asked.

"Well my sister has it although she has never showed it to anyone and I'm not sure about any of the other Fukutaichō although there is a rumour of Renji having one. I think I might even have mine soon if my Zanpakutō spirit is correct." Yuzu added shocking Rukia that she might achieve Bankai soon.

"So why are you only a third seat if you have nearly achieved Bankai?" Ishida asked this time.

"Well I've been offered the position before but I don't want to take it from my friend Isane and I don't really want to leave the fourth division and Unohana-Taichō." Yuzu replied with her usual contagious smile on her face as Rukia chuckled from hearing Yuzu's friendliness and her loyalty to her Captain.

"You seem quite loyal to your Taichō if you're unwilling to move divisions because of her." Tatsuki then asked as Yuzu smiled in response.

"Well the fourth division specializes in healing and support for the other divisions and I like helping others rather than fighting all time but you are right about me being loyal to Unohana-Taichō after all me and my sister do owe her a lot. She kind of took me and my sister Karin under her wing even when we weren't apart of the Gotei 13 a number of years back." Yuzu responded as Rukia realised that she didn't actually know much about the background of Yuzu and Karin apart from that they were a lot older then they looked and they didn't join the Gotei 13 till a lot later in their life then people usually do for some reason or another.

"So why was a Taichō willing to train someone not even a part of the Gotei 13?" Tatsuki then asked as she got even more curious about the cheerful girl in front of her who seemed to be much stronger then she let on.

"Well it was a long time ago and I was quite young then but Unohana-Taichō was quite close to my uncle who was like a second father to me and my sister since he and Unohana-Taichō used to teach us certain Shinigami techniques even when we were that young and they weren't busy with being a Taichō. She kind of took us under her wing when my Uncle died and my father changed to another person after that point." Yuzu replied with a saddened look in her face as she remembered her uncle as Tatsuki and the others knew not to push her any further or risk upsetting her.

Rukia had known that Yuzu's father had been a Captain and a powerful one at that and had left for certain reasons that had never been talked about but she had never heard of another Kurosaki being a Captain and she was curious to find out more as she also realised Yuzu had never mentioned her mother since they had become friends. However she didn't want to push Yuzu since she could see that talking about her uncle upset her which must have meant he had a great impact on her life.

As the group sat together a few minutes later Unohana and Isane entered the division barracks as Unohana entered her office and closed the doors behind her as Isane came over to join the group. Rukia could see the saddened look on Yuzu's face as she watched her Captain not act as her usual self and it didn't take long for Yuzu to act upon her worry as she opened the door to her Captains office and walk inside.

**Felt it was good place to end the chapter here as this chapter was quite slow compared to the previous chapters since I wanted this chapter to simply be about the two meetings. I also added a bit extra with Yuzu at the end to give a little more on who Ichigo once was. **

**The Espada rank is as follows:**

**10-Yammy**

**9-Szayel**

**8- Grimmjow**

**7-Nnoitra**

**6-Ulquiorra**

**5- Nelliel**

**4- Harribel**

**3- Barragan**

**2-Starrk**

**1-Ichigo**

**I also added the bit about the Privaron Espada in there since I might plan on using them in a few different chapters but not in any major roles in the main story.**

**In the upcoming chapters I might have quite a few big flashback chapters back to when Ichigo was a Shinigami to show his relationship with Unohana, other captains and his family and just about his story as a Shinigami in general. I have a good idea about how Ichigo will start to remember his past and it will help build on the romance with Harribel. **


	11. The Originals

**Once again thanks for all the follows, favourites and also all the reviews I receive.**

**For this flashback chapter expect OC's and members of the Royal Guard since I am not sure who actually makes up the original members of the Gotei 13 apart from Unohana and Yamamoto. I will change the appearance of many of the characters to give them a more youthful look since it is obviously set a long time ago in the past.**

-OO-

Sometime in the distant past.

It was beautiful day in soul society as the sun shone brightly down upon the ten strongest Shinigami that had ever existed. The most elderly looking of the ragtag group was Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni and he was also the most powerful as he stood at the centre of the two lines that had been formed by the others. He had short brown hair that formed a bald patch in the middle and he also had a thick moustache giving him an experienced look. He had been the one who had decided to form the group with the goal to protect Soul Society from outside or even inside threats and he knew he had chosen the right people to be the founding members. He had chosen the twelve most violent and powerful people in all of Soul Society and to the average person it would have looked crazy to try and keep control over them but if anyone could do it then it would be Yamamoto after all he had founded his own training school without any problems.

Another reason he had chosen the Shinigami that stood before him was the fact that they had achieved the level of Bankai which was highest any Shinigami could achieve and it often took many years for a person to achieve and even then it there was no guarantee for a Shinigami to learn it just because they had lived for a long time. The ones that stood before him were the only people in all of Soul Society to achieve Bankai although there were a few of his personal pupils in his training school that had the potential to reach it and he knew of one other person that was extremely close and she was the main reason for calling the current meeting to order.

Kurosaki Ichigo stood to left hand side of Yamamoto with his usual scowl upon his face as he waited for Yamamoto to begin the meeting. It's not that he hated the meetings that the old man often called since they had begun forming the elite group it was just that were a lot of better things to be doing with his time rather than stand around in a large garden on a beautiful day. However he knew the reason why they were all currently having a meeting and that was because Yamamoto was going to announce who the last person was going to be to complete the group. Ichigo already had an idea of who the last person was going to be as he had heard rumours of a beautiful and elegant female in the outer districts of the Rukongai but there were also rumours of her being the most diabolical criminal in Soul Society which was saying something considering the reputations of some of the others currently in his presence.

As Yamamoto stood at the head of the two lines his eyes inspected the Shinigami that stood before him. To his left and taking the position closest to Yamamoto stood the strawberry coloured spiky-haired Kurosaki Ichigo who was the youngest out of all the Shinigami present but arguably the strongest and Yamamoto knew that in a good few years Ichigo might even give him a run for his money. Ichigo was also the first person that Yamamoto had recruited to form the group alongside Ichigo's brother and he had served under Yamamoto for the past few years after he found Ichigo and his brother in the most outer district of east Rukongai and realised the potential in both of them.

To the right of Yamamoto and stood opposite Ichigo was his older brother Kurosaki Isshin who didn't look too much like Ichigo which lead people to question if they were actually brothers even if they shared the same surname. He was also very youthful looking with spiky black hair and Isshin often wore a serious expression across his face but Yamamoto knew that he was arguably the most hot-headed and volatile person currently present and probably fourth or fifth strongest out everyone.

The two brothers had built up quite the reputation in all of Rukongai and had received the title of 'Brothers of the Moon' before Yamamoto had met them and were known as an excellent fighting team with similar Zanpakutō names although not one person and not even Yamamoto himself knew what exactly their Bankai's were. The two young looking Shinigami didn't look like the most violent of duos but Yamamoto had witnessed first-hand just how violent and bloodthirsty they could be since anybody that got on their bad side wouldn't live much longer to witness it. Ichigo was seen as the more mature of the two even if he was the youngest whereas even though Isshin liked to appear more serious everyone knew that he was much more rash and impulsive.

Stood to Ichigo's left was a loud and often obnoxious man known as Oshō who had short black hair with bushy eyebrows and a short bushy beard and moustache. He also wore a set of large red beads around his neck which Yamamoto wasn't sure of the story behind and his Shihakushō was left slightly open at his chest revealing a lot of hair. Oshō currently stood with his arms folded and a big grin on his face as he looked towards the direction of Yamamoto waiting for him to begin speaking. Oshō was another who came from an outer district which was a common trait in nearly everyone present and he was known for his brute strength and how easily he crushed anyone that stood against him although his physical strength was outmatched by the person stood opposite him.

The person or giant, stood opposite Oshō and to the right of Isshin was a giant of a man named Kurohana Dai. He had taken his surname from the district he originated from which was the 78th western district 'Kurohana' since he wanted something to remember his time there by when he joined Yamamoto. He had chosen a rather suited name as he stood at over seven feet tall, easily making him the tallest person present by a long way, and his muscled physique was accentuated by the sleeveless Shihakushō he wore which the top half had also been left open showing off his scarred and muscled torso. His torso wasn't the only part of his body covered in scars as his bald head was also covered by a number of large scars as he currently stood stroking his long thin and brown beard which stopped at the centre of his chest while he looked up towards the sun with his eyes closed.

Before joining Yamamoto, Dai had received the nickname 'The beast in the West' which spread throughout Soul Society resulting in numerous challengers aiming to take the title all of which ended up dead at the feet of the giant. Yamamoto even thought that in physical strength alone Dai was probably the strongest there was but in his tremendous strength he lacked speed and was the slowest amongst the elite Shinigami present. Dai was arguably the quietest present and much preferred to settle things with his fists or with the Zanpakutō hung by his waist.

A lean-built and very tall man with black hair arranged into an outlandishly large pompadour hairstyle, with tapered sideburns stood to the right of Kurohana Dai and was called Kirinji Tenjirō. He wore a normal hakama with a black sleeveless shihakushō which was left open revealing a large yellow sash wrapped around his waist. Tenjirō was probably the most big-headed out of everyone as he often looked down on everyone else but Yamamoto knew that he had the power to back up some of the things he often said. He was arguably the fastest amongst everyone which resulted in him receiving the title 'Lighting-fast Tenjirō' from the district he came from. He currently stood with a bored expression on his face as he chewed upon a small stick that hung from his mouth as he waited with everyone else for the meeting to get under way.

The 'God of the sword' stood opposite Kirinji Tenjirō, otherwise known as Nimaiya Ōetsu who was a dark skinned man with a large black afro and he wore a variation of the Shinigami shihakushō, featuring instead a green undergarment, and a shortened hakama that exposed his lower legs. Ōetsu had received his nickname many years earlier as many people believed he had been the person to create asauchi for normal souls to use. He was the most eccentric person amongst everyone and was also the most unpredictable which made him incredibly dangerous in the eyes of Yamamoto and others. Ōetsu was currently stood with his usual big smile as he tapped his fingers on the handle of his Zanpakutō as if anticipating a fight while he stared at the empty space at the end of one of the lines.

Next to Ōetsu stood with his eyes closed and arms folded was a rather serious looking man known as Himura Takeshi who was the most elderly looking besides Yamamoto. He wore a normal version of the Shinigami shihakushō apart from it had one arm torn off which revealed a heavily burned right arm. He had light brown hair with a short ponytail formed at the back similar to Yamamoto and he also had a thin moustache adding to his elderly look. Takeshi had received the nickname 'The Blood King' after he wiped out numerous gangs in the lower southern districts by himself and from then on if anyone rose against him they suffered gruesome deaths at his hands and he took control and held rule over the 77th district Himura on his lonesome.

Yamauchi Katsu stood opposite to Takeshi with a rather bored look upon his scarred pale face as he repeatedly tapped his foot. He had short blonde spiky hair held in a Mohawk with a piercing ice blue eye while the other lacked a pupil and had numerous scars littering his face the biggest of which reached from the right corner of his mouth leading though his right eye causing the lack of pupil and up to his hairline. He wore a normal Shihakushō with an ice blue scarf and white fingerless gloves. Katsu was extremely volatile and short-tempered which was evident after he froze large parts of a northern district with his Shikai killing a large amount of people after his home was destroyed which resulted in him receiving the nickname 'Ice Demon'.

A tall, lean man stood next Katsu with large smile on his tanned face as stared off into the distance presumably thinking about something else entirely different to anything around him. The tall man known as Kimura Ren had long flowing black hair similar to that of a females some of which came down in front of his face covering the left hand side, leaving only one snake like eye visible. He wore a normal shihakushō with no variations while his Zanpakutō was in the form of a small wakizashi with a golden handle that hung by his side. Ren was arguably the cleverest amongst the group in terms of always being aware of any opportunity he could take advantage of to get whatever he wanted but that didn't mean he shied away from a straight up fight as he took pleasure in killing tough opponents.

The last person currently present was a middle-aged man with shoulder length black hair and a black goatee. The man known only as Sabitsura wore a sleeveless shihakushō with black gloves as he stood with his arms folded as he waited for last person to show up to the meeting. Sabitsura had taken his name from the 64th east district where he originated from as he grow bored of staying there he wandered from district to district looking for people to fight until he was eventually beaten by Yamamoto who had been the only person to ever defeat him and decided to join him. He was seen as a very calm and level-headed person even in battle and never let anything get under his skin so to speak since he saw it as weakness although if he faced a good enough opponent his bloodlust often took over, something Yamamoto had witnessed first-hand.

"Oh, I hope you all weren't waiting for me." A sweet, seductive voice came from the end of the two lines, opposite Yamamoto. The word beautiful always came to mind whenever you laid eyes on the women that had just appeared as she stood with an innocent smile on her face but everyone currently present knew she was anything but innocent. It also didn't take anyone long to understand why she was only called Hitomi as her blood red pupils gave her a crazed look and their colour was matched by her long red hair held in a ponytail which had a small blade tied in the end. She wore a normal shihakushō which had been left open slightly at the chest giving everyone a slight glimpse of her large breasts while she wore her Zanpakutō across her back which was held on by a piece of red rope. Hitomi was arguably the most bloodthirsty out of the group which had resulted in her receiving the nickname 'The Mistress of Blood' years before as she would always find the bloodiest way to kill her enemies or just kill people for fun. Yamamoto had been the only person to witness her Bankai and it easily matched the title that had been bestowed to her and it was something that he hoped he wouldn't witness for a long time.

"You say that shit every time, Hitomi!" Katsu's loud voice was the first to reply to Hitomi who had taken her place at the end of one of the lines.

"Well it's not my fault you guys hold meetings so early in the morning, a girl needs her beauty sleep you know." Hitomi replied, not even bothering to look in the direction of Katsu.

"It's not acceptable to keep us waiting every time we have a meeting Hitomi." Takeshi's stern and deep voice spoke up next as he look towards Hitomi.

"I agree with the old geezer, who knows, maybe one of these days I might just get sick of your constant shit." Ōetsu was next to speak as he tightened his grip around his Zanpakutō as if issuing a challenge to Hitomi who still held her seductive smile.

"Well you know where to find me, I could teach you a few lessons in how to actually fight if that's what you want." Hitomi's seductive voice replied to the threat from Ōetsu which received a few groans from some of the others present.

"I might just take you up on that offer." Ōetsu retorted as a large grin crept up his face.

"I'll teach both of you idiots a lesson if you don't shut up." Katsu called out seemingly getting sick of the current argument.

"You morons are keeping us waiting even longer with your constant blabbering!" Isshin suddenly called out as he grew frustrated at being kept waiting.

"You got something to get off your chest eh Kurosaki? I can teach you a few lessons while I'm at it." Katsu snapped back as he gripped the ice blue handle of his Zanpakutō and slowly began to unsheathe it which resulted in Isshin doing the same however he wasn't the only one as Ichigo's hand found its way to his own Zanpakutō as he stood with his eyes closed.

"Enough you fools! It's time we got to the real reason we are here and that is regarding our final member." Yamamoto's deep voice and rising reiatsu cut through the growing tension as everyone began to lessen their grips and turn their attention to the powerful Shinigami. "Some of you already know who our last member will be but for those who don't, her name is Unohana Yachiru."

"The demon of Zaraki. I've heard a lot of stories and rumours regarding her, I've heard she's rather talented with her blade." The snake like voice of Ren cut off Yamamoto as everyone turned their attention towards him. "It's said that she is the most diabolical criminal Soul Society has ever known and that she has killed over a thousand people with her sword alone." Ren finished off as continued to stare into the distance.

"Sounds like she'll fit in fine here then." Tenjirō chuckled as he continued chewing the stick hanging from his mouth as a few others laughed at how true the statement was.

"I wouldn't mind having a go at this demon. It sounds like she might put up a good fight from the sound of things." Sabitsura's calm voice spoke up as he turned to face Yamamoto.

"I have already decided on who's going to recruit her." Yamamoto began as everyone suddenly got interested in who was going to get the chance to face The Demon of Zaraki. "Ichigo, Isshin both of you are to go and convince her to join us."

"Both of them? Surely it won't need them both." Oshō spoke up for the first time as he sent a questioning look towards Yamamoto and he was joined by a few others.

"I don't want to take any chances with this women if she is as dangerous as they say. It is merely a precaution for Ichigo to go along as well and that's final. You two are to do anything necessary to convince her to join is that understood?" Yamamoto responded and the only response he received was the two empty spaces that were once filled by the Kurosaki brothers.

**So this chapter was just an introduction into the background of Ichigo and the original Gotei13 and in the current Manga Juhabach states that the original Gotei 13 were all violent people so I've tried to give everyone a nickname or title to show how well they are known. It isn't as long as other chapters since I'm still unsure of what Unohana's Zanpakutō abilities actually are and what Isshin's Bankai might be as well. **

**Next chapter will see Unohana fight certain people and you shouldn't have to wait too long for 'll also find out what the Gotei 13 is like and what divisions everyone will lead. I also plan on doing a lot of development for the OC's either in more flashback chapters or I might even plan on releasing another story which is set during this period to show Ichigo and the others moving from just violent fighters to people that have things and people to fight for and protect. **


	12. The Originals Part 2

**Once again thanks for all the follows, favourites and also all the reviews I receive.**

**Digitize27 – I do plan on making Unohana have the title Kenpachi but you won't find out why she's called that for a few chapters at least since I do plan on having more flashbacks while Ichigo regains his memory. Regarding Tatsuki, I do have a plan set in place as a reason for why she has a large amount of reiatsu but you won't' find out for a long time yet. **

**Guest – Yes Ichigo does have a Resurrección and regarding Segunda Etapa then you will have to wait and see for that. **

It had been a few hours since they had left the company of the others as they closed the gap between themselves and their target. As they jumped from rooftop to rooftop Ichigo could feel the leaking reiatsu coming from not only Unohana Yachiru but also from his brother who was obviously anticipating a decent fight. Using Shunpo which they had learned a few years earlier they ignored the brief looks of amazement from the normal souls they passed by as they eventually came to the 80th district Zaraki. Their first thoughts were that it was exactly like the district they had originated from as numerous run down shacks acted as housing while people stood in the street dressed in nothing more than rags.

As they dropped down to street level they ignored the various looks they were receiving ranging from jealously to amazement. Continuing on towards their target they could feel her reiatsu fluctuate wildly as if she was anticipating their arrival as they heard the whispers of nearby souls obviously discussing why the two were here. It didn't take them long to reach the large clearing from where they could sense Unohana was currently residing as they eventually got their first look at her.

"Took you long enough to get here, I could feel your bloodlust from miles away." The sweet but at the same time deadly voice welcomed the two brothers as blood dripped from the Zanpakutō she held by her side. Numerous bodies lay scattered around the clearing which had evidently all been recently killed if the wet blood that was currently splattered across the rags she currently wore was anything to go by. Despite her bloody appearance Ichigo couldn't help but admire how attractive she looked as the bloody clothes took nothing away from her beauty.

"The Demon of Zaraki I presume." The cold voice of Ichigo was the first to respond as he confirmed they were actually confronting the right person although he was already pretty sure.

"If that's what they call me in whatever district you come from then you would be correct in that assumption. From the clothes you are currently wearing and those fancy sheathes it doesn't look like you come from any outer districts so what could you possibly want from me." Unohana quickly answered as she removed the blood from her Zanpakutō.

"We came here with an offer from Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni." Unohana's eyes widened at hearing that name after all even in the outer most districts of Rukongai people had still heard of the training school in the centre of Soul Society as people would often view it as a way out of living in squalor. "You have been offered a place amongst the strongest people in all of Soul Society and to be a part of our group. Do you accept?" Ichigo asked as his hand made its way to the grip of his Zanpakutō already knowing what her answer would be. The same answer as all the others they had recruited.

"What could someone like that possibly want with a violent criminal such as myself?" Unohana replied growing curious at the offer.

"Believe me when I say that I remember asking the very same question when he came to us but let me tell you this. The people that make up this group are just as, if not more violent and bloodthirsty then you so you would probably fit right at home in that regard." Isshin was the one to reply this time as he stood with a large grin on his face.

"I can sense that you two are rather strong so perhaps if you prove just how strong this group is I might just accept your offer." Unohana replied as her grip tightened as she got ready for the upcoming fight.

"If that is your wish then it will also give us an opportunity to see if you are worthy and besides we haven't had a good fight in quite a while. If you survive this fight then our offer still stands. Before we begin I guess we should introduce ourselves, my name is Kurosaki Ichigo and this is my brother Isshin." Ichigo responded as Isshin suddenly disappeared from beside him as he noticed the eyes of Unohana widen at hearing their names.

Unohana barely had time to register Isshin reappear before her as his Zanpakutō collided with her own as the ground cracked below her from the impact before he disappeared once more as she turned around just in time to parry his attack and reply with one of her own as Isshin barely dodged the blade aimed for his neck.

Their Zanpakutō's collided once again as Unohana blocked the overhead strike from Isshin who sent attack after attack at Unohana with a large smile on his face and Unohana couldn't help but smile back as she eventually fought a worthy opponent. Jumping backwards she easily dodged another blow form Isshin before jumping back towards him with a strike of his own aimed for his chest before he disappeared once again.

Reappearing behind Unohana Isshin brought his Zanpakutō down towards her lower back aiming to cripple her but was left disappointed as Unohana managed to swirl around with upmost elegance and parry his blow and send a crushing kick to the side of Isshin's head sending him sliding back. Isshin couldn't help but let out a loud laugh as he wiped the blood away from his mouth and charged towards Unohana once again.

Ichigo couldn't help but admire the grace and elegance Unohana showed as she dodged and parried every strike Isshin sent her way and he could tell that she was very skilled and experienced in wielding her Zanpakutō even more so then Isshin and maybe even himself. Ichigo smiled as he saw the two fighters lock together and Isshin brought his finger up to Unohana's chest as a blue ball of energy began to form at the tip. His smile quickly disappeared as he witnessed Unohana Shunpo away as she barely dodged the point blank Kidō Isshin had fired at her and he couldn't help but wonder how she had learnt Shunpo by herself.

"Hmph, I wasn't expecting you to know how to use Shunpo after all we didn't learn it till the old man taught us it." Isshin spoke up as he rested his Zanpakutō across his shoulder.

"I'm always looking for ways to get stronger and it's often boring out here with no one strong to fight and I luckily managed to figure it out when I was bored." Unohana replied as she stood opposite Isshin.

"Not bad!" Isshin called out as he used Shunpo once again as Unohana did the same before they collided in the middle of the clearing sending a large shockwave in every direction. Their blades smashed together as they fought relentlessly for what felt like an eternity to Ichigo as he looked on with a bored expression as he thought about joining the fight.

Collision after collision it was clear to the three people currently present in the clearing that Isshin and Unohana were practically equal in swordsmanship which surprised Ichigo considering she hadn't received any training that he knew of and he wondered just how strong she could become if she joined them. However Ichigo knew that Isshin was still holding back in terms of speed and he had barely used any Kidō but he also wasn't entirely sure how much Unohana was hiding since she had already revealed she could use Shunpo

"Why isn't he joining the fight, it would make it more fun if he did." Unohana said as the two fighters jumped away from each other and she shot a glance towards Ichigo out of the corner if her eye both she turned back to Isshin who began to laugh.

"You're only a match to me and I haven't even released my Zanpakutō yet. If Ichigo was to join the fight then you would be dead already." Isshin responded as he sensed Ichigo begin to grow restless at not getting to fight and thought about releasing his Shikai.

"Well if I'm disappointing him then perhaps my Bankai would please him." Unohana responded knowing she wasn't going to release her Bankai as long as she could help it as Ichigo's and Isshin's eyes narrowed at hearing she had achieved Bankai.

"You say that is if you don't want to release your Shikai." Isshin replied wondering if she really had achieved Bankai yet.

"My Shikai isn't ideal for fighting one versus one since someone like you could easily outmanoeuvre it since it forms from my blade I prefer not to use it in combat and I also have no plans to use my Bankai since it can be very dangerous even for myself." Unohana responded as she took note of the smile on Isshin's face.

"If that's the case then we shall force you to release it." Isshin called out as he suddenly appeared before Unohana whose eyes widened as she took note of the increase in speed from Isshin as she blocked his strike.

"I see you were holding back." Unohana stated as she held back Isshin's Zanpakutō.

"Holding back, don't make me laugh. Of course I haven't went all out yet and I don't plan on it either and neither do you from the looks of it which is why I'm going to force your Bankai out of you." Isshin replied in a serious tone as he pushed against Unohana who was beginning to be pushed back.

Using Shunpo Unohana jumped back but quickly and elegantly swirled around to once again block another strike form Isshin who had predicted her movements as she barely managed to deflect another stab at her neck. Unohana knew she was starting to get overpowered as Isshin seemed to only get faster and stronger as she began to release some her reiatsu to match her opponent and hopefully get back on equal footing without releasing her Bankai.

Ichigo's hand had been tapping impatiently on the handle of his Zanpakutō for a good few minutes as he watched the two fighters tear away at one another as the area around them was nothing more than a wasteland as the reiatsu both of them were releasing had smashed the ground beneath them wherever they collided. Just a few minutes ago it looked to Ichigo that Isshin was beginning to overpower Unohana and he had been pleasantly surprised when she began to release more of her power and the two fighters were at a stalemate once again.

Isshin and Unohana were panting heavily as they had been fighting for what seemed like hours to the two and they both knew that if they wanted to go any further then they would probably have to release their Zanpakutō however neither wanted to be the first to do so. Isshin appeared in front of Unohana once again through the use of Shunpo however his eyes widened as realised he had made a stupid and costly mistake as he inwardly cursed.

"You're open!" Unohana's eyes suddenly widened as she witnessed what had just happened and a large smile crept upon her face as she brought her Zanpakutō back and aimed a deadly stab aimed towards the neck of Isshin who was now at her mercy as blood splattered against the ground where they stood.

"It seems that the both of you need to be more aware of your surrounding area." Ichigo mentally sighed as he had witnessed what had happened and it hadn't taken him long to spring into action. He had watched as Isshin appeared before Unohana but in his bloodlust he hadn't realised the stability of the ground around them which was now nothing more than rubble beneath their feet. He watched as Isshin lost his footing leaving him open to a strike from Unohana and Ichigo knew that a fighter of her capability wouldn't let a chance like that go to waste. Ichigo suddenly reappeared behind Unohana whose eyes widened in surprise as Ichigo had already began to sheathe his Zanpakutō as both Unohana and Isshin fell to their knees for different reasons.

Unohana mentally cursed herself as felt a sharp pain erupt in her back and she felt the cold steel of a Zanpakutō slice through stomach and leave her back as blood splattered from her wound onto the ground beneath her. She hadn't even sensed Ichigo move and had been too caught up in her fight with Isshin that she had forgotten he was there and had only realised her mistake after it was too late as she fell to her knees.

Isshin fell to his knees in shock as he realised just how close he had come to losing his head if not for his brother as he felt the tip of Unohana's Zanpakutō fall from the shallow cut on his neck as she fell to her knees opposite him as Ichigo stood behind her with his back to the both of them.

"Pathetic. Using a cheap tactic such as two against one to beat me instead of fighting me in a fair fight." Unohana's voice was nothing more than a whisper and Isshin could hear the anger in her voice and he wondered how she still hadn't collapsed from blood loss as blood still poured from her wound.

"Tell me Unohana Yachiru, why do you fight?" Ichigo calmly replied as Isshin wondered what he was getting at asking a question like that.

"I fight because it's fun and I enjoy it. I've been given this power for a reason and what better than to use it to fight." Unohana's weak voice spoke up once again.

"Then tell me something, is kneeling in a pool of your own blood fun? Fighting is fun but its only fun when you are winning therefore you should use any means necessary to win eve it includes using cheap tricks or tactics." Ichigo's words cut through not Unohana but also Isshin as he also began to wonder why he always wanted to fight. Unohana had begun to grow even more angry at herself as she heard Ichigo speak and she knew what he said was true. She wasn't having fun currently and she only wanted to end the pain she was currently experiencing.

"It seems you have failed in the task I set for you and it seems you're not worthy of joining us. We shall leave you to die in your own self-pity." Ichigo continued as he turned around not casting a second glance towards Unohana who still knelt with her head down as Isshin stood up and began to follow Ichigo who was making his way form the clearing. Isshin couldn't help but feel Ichigo was trying to do something since he had never heard him talk to anyone like that especially telling her she wasn't worthy enough to join them considering she had matched Isshin and nearly killed him if it wasn't for Ichigo.

"You shouldn't think too much, it doesn't suit you." Ichigo smiled as Isshin caught up to him and he noticed the thoughtful look on his brother face who was obviously thinking about what Ichigo had just said as the both suddenly froze as what they felt and heard behind them.

"Bankai, Minazuki." Unohana's voice cut through the air as her reiatsu began to rise surprising both Ichigo and Isshin at how high it went. Turning around Ichigo and Isshin noticed that she was now back on her two feet as her hair covered most of her face while her clothes were covered in blood giving her a rather demonic look. Ichigo took note of the change of her Zanpakutō, it had kept the same shape but it was now covered in a thick liquid like substance and it didn't take long for Ichigo realise what it was and how dangerous it might just be.

"I see you've eventually came to your senses and released your Bankai. Although I am surprised you can still stand with the wound I inflicted earlier." Ichigo called out as he began to unsheathe his Zanpakutō after feeling the level of her reiatsu which was at a level of his own and he knew they would have to be careful as it looked like a dangerous Bankai.

The only response Ichigo got was a sudden need to Shunpo away as Unohana's blade suddenly smashed against the ground where he had once stood as his eyes widened at how fast she had become. Not letting her get back onto the front foot both himself and Isshin charged towards her aiming to end it one attack but she masterfully dodged in between the two strikes as Isshin barely managed to dodge a counter attack but the substance from her Zanpakutō seemed to flow from her blade towards Isshin who let out a hiss of pain as the skin on his hand began to burn away as he jumped back to get a away from Unohana. Ichigo noticing the damage Unohana's Bankai could do knew they could no longer mess around as he also Shunpoed to the side off Isshin whose arm hung limply by his side and it was luckily for him that it wasn't his Zanpakutō wielding hand.

"I guess we'll have to see Tenjirō after this is done but for now it's time we got serious." Ichigo said as Unohana stood casually opposite them as if waiting for them to act as Ichigo held his Zanpakutō out to his side and Isshin pointed his own towards Unohana.

"Burn, Engetsu!" Isshin called out as the shape of his Zanpakutō didn't change but it suddenly became engulfed in a thin cover of fire with trailing streams flowing from it as his reiatsu rose steadily at having released his Shikai.

"Tear through the sky, Zangetsu!" Ichigo called out as his Zanpakutō was suddenly engulfed in a bright light as the ground below him cracked even more due to the reiatsu being released from activating his Shikai. As the light disappeared the slim Katana had now become an oversized cleaver-like blade without a hilt and the handle was wrapped in a white cloth with two pieces flowing from the end as he brought it up to rest it upon his shoulder.

"Now we can begin." Ichigo calmly added as both he Isshin suddenly disappeared as Unohana brought Minazuki up to block a downward slash from Isshin before using Shunpo to dodge an attack from behind by Ichigo who also quickly ducked as a line of acid shot over his head as he charged towards Unohana once again.

The fight only lasted another ten minutes but for the three fighters it seemed like a lot longer as Ichigo remained the only person standing on two feet as Isshin once again found himself kneeling on the destroyed ground and Unohana currently lay face down after collapsing from what Ichigo must have thought was either a loss of blood or her reiatsu had caught up with her body and she had exhausted herself. Either way she had put up a very tough fight as he stretched his arm taking in the damage that she had done to him resulting in his skin burning away on a section of his arm as blood now covered the entirety of his arm and it dripped to the floor adding to the blood that already covered the clearing.

As he looked at Isshin, his brother was in a worse state at having not only been fighting her before she released Bankai but also taking most of her attacks when she had released it. The top half of his shihakushō had been ripped to shreds many cuts littered his upper body and a similar wound to Ichigo's was on his hand and Ichigo felt glad that they had Tenjirō and his weird hot spring waiting for them when they got back. Making his way over to the downed Unohana he carefully picked her up and placed her over his shoulder and Isshin took this as his queue to also get up.

"Her Bankai is pretty nasty." Isshin spoke to no one in particular as he held up his hand and took in the damage.

"She'll make a good addition to our group and no doubt be a good sparring partner. Let's head back, we need to get our wounds looked at and she'll need Tenjirō to help her out no doubt." Ichigo responded as he suddenly disappeared not waiting for Isshin to respond as he quickly followed his brother.

**First of all regarding Unohana's Bankai I went off the Bleach wiki and my own view on what her Bankai is and that is an acid like substance that coats her blade since I don't think Kubo explained it very well in the manga**.

**Ichigo's release phrase is similar to other fanfiction stories but I think it suits Zangetsu well so I decided to use that. **

**Regarding the fight I struggled a lot on it which is why it took me a long time to write this chapter since I need to make a way for all three people to seem strong but it's hard to do that in a two vs one fight without making the person fighting alone seem overpowered so I hope I did alright. I also didn't use Ichigo much in the fight since I wanted to put the idea across that he is stronger the both of them so teaming up with Isshin would have resulted in a quick fight. **

**I also want to get back to present time to focus more on the Arrancar so I wanted this fight over with and next chapter will be back in the present time. **


	13. Just a Dream

**Once again thanks for all the follows, favourites and also all the reviews I receive. Enjoy the chapter!**

Ichigo sat on the edge of his rather comfortable bed as he ran a pale hand through his long strawberry coloured hair and he let another sigh escape is lips as his mind went over the dream he had just had. At first he had dismissed it at just that, nothing more than a dream but in reality he knew it was more. He played over what he had learned from the dream and he couldn't deny it any longer, he had once been a Shinigami and not only that but a Captain and one of the first to ever take up the role.

His mind then drifted to the people that he had seen in the dream and he wondered if they were still alive and if they were then did they know he was now a hollow. Of course he knew that Yamamoto and Unohana knew he was now a hollow since he had already met them face to face and there was one more thing he had learned from the dream and that was that he had a brother. He hadn't seen his brother amongst the captains when he had arrived at Soul Society to help Aizen, in fact he hadn't seen any of the original Captains he had seen in his dream apart from Unohana and Yamamoto. Did this mean that his brother was now dead or was he just no longer a captain but that was a question he would have to leave till later as he couldn't remember anything other then what had happened in his dream.

Letting out another sigh Ichigo realised he wanted answers to who he was and why he was a hollow more then he realised, in fact he didn't just want answers he needed them and there were only a select few who could give him what he wanted. The three main choices were Yamamoto, Unohana and his brother Isshin. Yamamoto was not a possibility as he knew there was no way the old man would let him even enter Seireitei never mind answer his questions. This meant that his options were narrowed down to Unohana and Isshin but he didn't even know if his brother was alive never mind where to find him which left Unohana. He thought back to his fight with Yamamoto and how Unohana had interrupted them and pretty much let Ichigo go without even helping the old man and she had even seemed pleased to see that he was still alive albeit a hollow.

Suddenly another person flashed into his mind and he realised that he had totally forgot about the three captains that were now his allies or leaders. He wondered if Aizen knew he was a captain before he was a hollow and Ichigo wondered if he should just go and ask the ex-captain himself. However he quickly dismissed the idea as he still didn't trust Aizen and he couldn't risk the consequences of Aizen telling the other Espada that Ichigo was once a Shinigami since he didn't know how they would react to it. Then that settled it, he would try and find a way to get to Unohana and convince her to give him the answers he needed through any means possible.

Before Ichigo could begin to think about a plan to get to Unohana a familiar voice interrupted his thoughts as his eyes fell upon the figure of Zemi standing at the door to his bedroom. As their eyes locked he could see the worry that plagued her face and the sadness hidden in her eyes as he stood up and began to make his way towards her.

A few minutes earlier Zemi found herself stood in front of the closed door that lead to Ichigo's bedroom as she thought back to when she had first lay eyes on him after his return from Soul Society. She shivered at remembering the wounds Ichigo had and in all the time she had spent with them she had never seen him receive any wounds as serious as that apart from maybe when he fought Aizen but even then he had been able to regenerate those wounds nearly instantly. She hadn't spoken to Ichigo since before he had left Las Noches and she had no idea what state his mind was in and she couldn't help but feel worried about him. Hesitantly reaching out she knocked on the door a few times and in receiving no response she wondered if he was still asleep even though he had been asleep now for longer than Zemi could ever remember and she decided that she would check in on him to see if he asleep or not.

Slowly opening the door her eyes took in the room as the door gradually opened as noticed that the room was nothing special and was in fact smaller then hers which made her wonder if Ichigo had actually let her have the larger room which she wouldn't put past him. She quickly got rid of any thoughts about how big the room was as she spotted Ichigo who was sat on the edge of his bed with his elbows on his knees and his head resting in his hands as he made no reaction to Zemi entering his room which made her wonder if he was actually asleep sitting like that or he just didn't care that she had entered his room.

"Ichigo?" Zemi nervously called out and she had no idea why she was so nervous, after all it was only Ichigo, the same Ichigo she had spent a lot of her hollow life with or was she nervous because she had no idea what he had been through when he had left Las Noches and she had no idea what state he was in mentally. Seeing no response she called out his name once again as he suddenly lifted his head as if he had been deep in thought and picked himself up from the bed as he headed towards her.

"I'm sorry for taking my anger out on you earlier Zemi. I just had a lot of things on my mind." Ichigo said has he closed the gap between the two and rested his hand on the shoulder of Zemi.

"It's nothing to worry about. You probably had a good reason for being so angry." Zemi responded as she suddenly felt the floor more interesting than the face of Ichigo.

"Me being angry doesn't give me an excuse to shout at you and no doubt scare you like I did." Ichigo began as he picked up his Zanpakutō which sat near the door and stepped past Zemi and into the main room as he began to make his way towards the main door leading into the rest of Las Noches with Zemi following close behind. "I'm also sorry for making you see me in that state, I'm sure it upset you." Ichigo finished as he continued walking.

"W…who did that to you? I mean I can't imagine anyone that could've done that to you." Zemi asked as she followed Ichigo out into Las Noches as her mind went through the possible scenarios that could have led to Ichigo being wounded like that.

"Well I guess I should tell you where me and Starrk actually went to before I tell you who did that to me." Ichigo began as he headed down a long corridor that looked like every other in Las Noches. "We went to Soul Society or in particular Seireitei which is the home of the Shinigami in case you weren't aware since we were needed to make sure nothing went wrong for Aizen and the others when they made their escape." Zemi eyes widened at hearing that he had been to Soul Society. She knew that that was where Shinigami lived but she had never been there and not many hollows did go there as it was practically signing your own death warrant but she knew Ichigo was the strongest Hollow in all of Hueco Mundo especially since he had become an Arrancar so surely there were no Shinigami strong enough to overpower him.

"I'm sure you're aware of how the Gotei 13 is made up," Ichigo continued as he glanced towards Zemi to see her nod in response, "well when we arrived in Soul Society every taichō, fukutaichō barring Aizen, Gin and Tōsen of course and a few other powerful Shinigami stood opposite us."

"You mean you and Starrk fought every taichō and fukutaichō at the same time!" Zemi blurted out before muttering an apology under her breath at seeing the frustrated look on Ichigo's face at being cut off.

"If you let me finish I will get to who I fought. Now, the fukutaichō's wouldn't have stood a chance against me or Starrk and I believe that you are more than a match for most of them at the present moment or could well be depending on how much we train. They obviously must have realised that Starrk and I were obviously stronger than we were letting on since the fukutaichō's were ordered away to guard their own divisions in case Aizen had anything else planned." Ichigo continued as they continued down hallway after hallway seemingly heading in a random direction as Zemi listened intently after her earlier slip up.

"I knew that amongst the taichō's before us only a few had the potential to make things difficult for us but one Shinigami probably could have ended it all right there if he had decided to go all out and even I might have not been able stop him at my present strength. That one Shinigami was Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni, the sōtaichō of the Gotei 13 and the Shinigami I decided to fight." Ichigo thought back to his battle with Yamamoto as he began to recall his fight to Zemi who was listening eagerly.

Zemi now knew why she had felt so worried earlier and she realised she wasn't only worried about Ichigo but also about herself. Since she had been saved by Ichigo when she was still an Adjuchas she had never really felt threatened since thanks to Ichigo being arguably the strongest hollow in Hueco Mundo but after seeing him wounded like he was she realised she was scared. Listening to Ichigo recall his fight with Yamamoto only strengthened the feeling as Ichigo admitted that Yamamoto was stronger than him at his current level which amazed Zemi as she would never have thought Ichigo would admit to someone being stronger than he was. She knew Ichigo could handle himself but what about her; she wasn't a match for any of the Espada which meant that the captains were also going to be stronger than she was.

"You don't have to look so worried Zemi." Ichigo's voice broke Zemi from her thoughts as he realised that they had both been silent for quite a while as they continued walking through Las Noches. "I plan on getting stronger which is why we are heading where we are heading at the minute and I also wouldn't worry about yourself to much." Ichigo let out a small smile at seeing the confused look on Zemi's face who was wondering what he had meant.

"You're stronger than you think especially with your Resurrección and I would probably say you are arguably the strongest amongst the Arrancar that are not part of the Espada and I feel confident in your ability to handle any fukutaichō that you come across especially if I keep training you." Ichigo reassured Zemi but he could tell that she was still worried and he had an inkling to what it was troubling her.

"But what about the Shinigami taichō's, it sounds like I'm not much of a match for any of them." Zemi sighed as she knew she wouldn't be able to match a captain in a straight up fight.

"Taichō's are the elite of the Shinigami and I have no plans on leaving you in a situation where you will have to fight one by yourself however if for some reason I am not around and you come across a taichō then the only advice I will give you is you try and put as much space between you and them as you possibly can especially if they release their Bankai." Ichigo reassured Zemi who nodded her head in response.

Zemi eventually realised where Ichigo was heading as they turned onto a familiar long corridor that lead to Starrk's palace. One knock on the door later they found themselves being welcomed in by an energetic Lilynette who led them to a smallish room where Starrk was sleeping on a rather comfortable looking chair.

"Starrk!" Lilynette's extremely loud voice pierced the ears of Ichigo and Zemi who were both amazed when Starrk showed no reaction to her. "That idiot is always sleeping!" Shouting his name once again Lilynette suddenly appeared above Starrk aiming a punch to his stomach however before it could connect, Starrk's arm snapped up and latched onto Lilynette's wrist before placing her down on the ground.

"I heard you the first time, Lilynette." Starrk let out a yawn as he lazily sat up and rubbed his eyes.

"Then why didn't you answer me then idiot!" Lilynette, who was now sat on the floor, shouted at Starrk who shrugged his shoulders in response.

"Do you have to shout all the time, you're giving me a headache." Starrk lazily responded as he sat on the edge of his bed.

"Well if you weren't so lazy then I wouldn't have to shout at you all the time." Lilynette folded her arms in a rather angry manner as she faced Starrk before their attention was brought to the two guests as Ichigo cleared his throat as he began to lose patience.

"Sorry Kurosaki-sama, forgot you were there." Lilynette let out a sheepish chuckle as Starrk sighed and got to his feet.

"Was wondering when you were going to wake up. You've been sleeping for quite a while." Starrk said as he walked past Ichigo and headed out of the small room as the others followed.

"You're one to talk Starrk, every time I come here your sleeping." Ichigo responded receiving a small smile from Starrk.

"Well what brings you to my humble abode, I thought you would have been talking to Harribel or something." Starrk made his way other to the large balcony that was similar to Ichigo's in every way other than a large comfortable looking lounge chair that had no doubt been slept on by Starrk numerous times as Ichigo stepped in beside him leaving Zemi and Lilynette to their own thing.

"What, can't I visit a good friend of mine without a reason. Your words hurt me Starrk." Both Arrancar let a small smile creep upon their faces at being able to relax as they stood overlooking the sands of Las Noches.

"So how are you feeling? You didn't seem in the best of moods after we returned from Soul Society and also the best of shape if what Harribel told me was true after Zemi told her of your condition." Starrk asked after a few minutes of silence between the pair as he glanced towards Ichigo out the corner of his eye to see his reaction.

"I'm fine after a decent sleep but I was pretty banged up I'll admit that. That's actually one of the reasons I came to talk to you, I told Zemi earlier that I could probably match Yamamoto if I grew a little stronger but it's going to take a lot more than a few friendly spars to be able to match him especially if he goes all out." Ichigo began as ran his hand through is long hair and let out a tired sigh.

"That strong huh?" Starrk cut off Ichigo as he began to stroke his goatee deep in thought, "Your stronger then you let on Ichigo and you didn't even release your Resurrección."

"Perhaps but I have never even used my Resurrección in combat so I'm not even sure how much it would of helped but that's what I wanted to talk to you about. I want to train with you, not just the pointless spars we did in the past few weeks but going all out against one another. You're the only person that can match me other than Aizen and I'm not exactly going to ask him to train." Ichigo finished as he turned to face Starrk who let out a large sigh and rubbed the back of his head.

"Perhaps it would be for the best if we were to grow stronger after all we have no way of knowing just how strong the more powerful captains are especially with their Bankai. If we are to spar then we should do it as far away from Las Noches as possible since we aren't allowed to release our swords inside here and I don't want to exactly destroy this place." Starrk answered as Ichigo turned away from Starrk.

"I agree, how did your fight go in Soul Society anyway? Ichigo asked, satisfied with his answer.

"Well I didn't exactly fight anyone but had a very interesting conversation with certain Shinigami." Starrk replied.

"I thought as much, your reiatsu never changed from the moment we arrived there. So what was so interesting about your conversation" Ichigo wasn't bothered in the slightest that Starrk didn't fight and was actually rather interested what the conversation could have been about.

"Before I tell you I want to ask you something. Can you remember anything regarding your past before you became a hollow?" Starrk asked gaining a surprised look from Ichigo who began to wonder if he should tell Starrk about him being a Shinigami.

"There's not much point in hiding it from you considering if my gut feeling is correct your conversation with those Shinigami already told you what I am about to. The only thing I remember is that I was a Shinigami, one of the taichō's to be exact but that is all." Ichigo responded however the reply he got from Starrk wasn't one he expected as barely dodged Starrk's Zanpakutō aiming to remove his head as he jumped from the balcony and onto the sand below. "What is the meaning of this Starrk?" Ichigo asked but received no response from Starrk who landed opposite him.

Jumping backwards once again he dodged the upwards slash form Starrk and was forced to draw his Zanpakutō and block another strike or risk being impaled. As they locked blades Ichigo noticed that Starrk had no emotion on his face and Ichigo wondered what he was doing attacking him like that before they both used sonīdo to reappear opposite one another once again but further away from Starrk's balcony this time.

"What the hell are you guys doing?" The loud shout of Zemi came from the balcony but neither Starrk nor Ichigo took their eyes off one another as Lilynette appeared on the balcony beside her.

"They're probably just sparring again and they are barely releasing any reiatsu so calm down." Lilynette said noticing the worried look on Zemi's face however she was nearly blown form her feet as in the distance blue reiatsu began to swirl around Starrk which was followed closely by Ichigo who was surrounded by black reiatsu as the sand around them kicked up and a strong wind blew around Las Noches. "M…maybe i…it's more serious than I thought." Lilynette barely managed to be heard above the wild wind that blew around them.

The reiatsu that both fighters were surrounded by suddenly vanished and the sand that blew around them fell to the ground as the sound of Sonīdo filled the air as both fighters vanished and reappeared before one another as their Zanpakutō's collided as a large shockwave shock through Las Noches no doubt alerting everyone that hadn't already sensed their raising reiatsu to what was happening.

Pulling back from another Ichigo suddenly appeared behind Starrk who managed to turn around just in time and expertly parry a stab aimed for his back before launching a swift kick towards Ichigo's head who ducked underneath as their swords collided once again as Ichigo forced Starrk onto the defensive who Sonīdoed away before firing a few nameless Bala towards Ichigo who weaved in between each one as he disappeared once again as the Bala smashed into the ground behind where Ichigo had once stood causing large craters to form.

Dodging to the side Starrk barely managed to dodge the Zanpakutō of Ichigo which scraped past Starrk's face who then aimed a slash towards Ichigo who disappeared and Starrk was forced to spin around and block a strong kick aimed at his head from Ichigo who jumped backwards. Ichigo was then the one forced to block as he landed on the sandy floor due to Starrk suddenly appearing in front of him crouched down as Ichigo blocked the upwards slash before retaliating with a downward strike which Starrk easily blocked.

"It's incredible how fast they are and how much power they both release. I just hope they know what they are doing." Zemi spoke out loud to no one in particular as Lilynette watched the fight beside and as Zemi looked around she realised they weren't the only two watching the fight which had now been going on for at least ten minutes as both Ichigo and Starrk fought relentlessly.

Harribel and Nel stood beside one another with their respective Fracción stood close behind on large sand dune a safe distance away from where Ichigo and Starrk fought although no one could really be sure what distance was required to be safe when the two strongest Hollows fought one another. The next group along consisted of Yammy, Grimmjow, Ulquiorra and Nnoitra who were having a heated discussion amongst themselves. Close to them the Privaron Espada and a few Números Arrancar stood in silence and watched the fight intensely as everyone that watched the fight all had the same thing running through their heads and that was amazement at how powerful the Primera and Segunda Espada were compared to themselves.

Begin a Shinigami before he was a Hollow surely couldn't mean this much that Starrk would attack could it Ichigo thought to himself as the two fighters broke apart and Ichigo took a few seconds to gather his thoughts as he realised that Starrk must be doing this for another reason other than that but was quickly forced back into the fight as he noticed a familiar sight of a large cero beginning to form under the chin of Starrk. Bringing his hand up Ichigo pointed towards Starrk as he began to charge a cero of his own and some of the spectators that were currently watching began to Sonīdo to a further distance at seeing what was about to happen.

As both Ichigo and Starrk released their wordless cero's they both collided in the middle of the two fighters as a huge explosion engulfed the area and a large shockwave shuck the foundations of Las Noches as large cracks began to form on a tall red tower that stood nearby the two. The smoke barely had time to clear as both fighters collided once again however they both turned their heads towards a loud noise as the tower beside them collapsed and Aizen suddenly appeared nearby followed closely by Tōsen.

"I guess I was right about leaving Las Noches to train, we barely even released any reiatsu and still managed to destroy this thing." Starrk sighed as he took in the ruined tower and ignored the surprised look from Ichigo.

"You mean you were only meaning to be training all this time? You could have at least told me, Starrk." Ichigo responded as they both relaxed and sheathed their Zanpakutō's.

"I guess it slipped my mind after getting caught up in the moment but you got to admit it was a good workout." Starrk replied as he let out a small chuckle and scratched his head sheepishly.

"I guess your right but we barely did anything and destroyed this thing and I still want to hear about that conversation of yours." Ichigo responded smiling at Starrk.

"Am I right in my assumption that you will no longer fight inside Las Noches without my permission?" Aizen's voice interrupted their conversation as he made his way other to Starrk and Ichigo who began to walk towards him.

"We were just working out, I doubt Las Noches would still be standing if we were actually fighting if that tower is anything to go by but there's plenty of room in Hueco Mundo for us." Ichigo responded as both he and Starrk walked past Aizen and began to head back towards where Zemi and Lilynette were waiting.

"They lack respect Aizen-sama. We should keep them on a short leash." Tōsen spoke out as he waited for Starrk and Ichigo to be a safe distance away so they wouldn't hear.

"Do not worry Kaname, as soon as I no longer have need for them then I will end their miserable existence myself." Aizen smiled as both he and Tōsen suddenly disappeared in a flash of Shunpo.

-OO-

It had been two days since Aizen, Gin and Tōsen had betrayed the Gotei 13 and they were feeling the effects of losing three captains although they had filled the gap slightly by finding a suitable replacement for one of the positions.

It had been a few hours since Kurosaki Karin had been introduced to her new squad and been shown the division grounds by Hinamori Momo and she was now sat in her office wearing the white haori with the fifth division symbol emblazoned on the back as her twin sister sat on the other side of her desk.

"But don't you think it felt familiar." The worried voice of Yuzu brought another sigh form Karin.

"I'll admit that it did a little bit but it was a hollow and last time I checked we didn't know any hollows never mind one that was strong enough to match Yamamoto-sōtaichō." Karin responded as she leant back in her rather uncomfortable chair.

"Yeah I guess your right but…" Yuzu began but was cut off before she could finish.

"Enough about such a depressing subject. I've just been promoted to taichō, we should be celebrating or something." Karin interrupted her twin who apologised which made Karin scoff in response. "Anyways, I have something to ask you. How about you become my fukutaichō, we would make such a good team and you deserve more than being a third-seat and I know you are even stronger than some of the other fukutaichō's."

"B…but what about Hinamori, I don't think it would be right just replacing her and what about Unohana-sensei. She hasn't been herself lately and I'm not sure she'll want me to leave her division and I don't think I'm ready to leave the fourth division." Yuzu replied as Karin let out another sigh in response.

"I spoke to Hinamori earlier and she mentioned that she's thinking about requesting a transfer to the third division to help Kira run things over there now I'm the taichō of the fifth and I'm sure Retsu will be pleased for you to become a fukutaichō. So if Hinamori leaves I'm going to be without a fukutaichō and you're just going to leave me running things by myself." Karin tried to put on her best sad face as she tried to convince Yuzu to accept her offer who was looking like she was beginning to crumble from the pressure.

"Fine I'll take up the role only if Hinamori transfers to the third division and you should really pay more respect to Unohana-sensei and not call her by her first name." Yuzu scolded her twin sister who just laughed in response.

"Sure thing Yuzu although I defiantly remember her giving us permission to call her by her first name. Anyway I think we should head home since I want to show of my haori to goat-face." Karin responded as stood up and headed towards the door.

"You shouldn't call dad that and did you forget that he was also a taichō so how can you show off." Yuzu called out as she followed her sister who was now outside.

"But he's not anymore, Yuzu!" Karin retorted, receiving a shake of the head in response.

-OO-

In the fourth northern district Ibaraki, three powerful captains entered the large but rather plain house that overlooked the rest of the district. As they entered it didn't take them long to lay their eyes on the person they had come to talk too and they knew that he would have been able to sense their reiatsu as they approached and was no doubt expecting them.

"What a pleasure to see two of my old pupils and Retsu you're looking as lovely as ever but I'm not sure what you could all want from a simple man like me." A serious voice came from a middle aged man sat a large table currently drinking a cup of sake.

"It's good to see you too Isshin and your anything but simple." Shunsui was the first to respond as he took in the appearance of his old sensei who had barely aged at all since they had known one another. He now had a large amount of stubble similar to his own but still had a rather youthful look around him similar to Unohana.

"So how's things in Seireitei after you lost some taichō's, it's been around 100 years since something of this magnitude happened in Soul Society and it seems that it involved the same person now as it did then." Isshin offered some sake to his guests who graciously accepted as they took a seat.

"I see you still keep up to date to the goings on in Seireitei, Isshin." Ukitake smiled his usual kind smile.

"Well it's not too difficult after you convinced my daughters to join the Gotei 13 and I have to listen to all their gossip and who was the one that recommended my daughter for a taichō position." Isshin responded as he took another drink of sake as Ukitake smiled sheepishly.

"That would have been Jūshirō but you can't deny it Isshin that both your daughters are very powerful and will be great taichō's in the present and future." Unohana was the one to respond this time as she smiled at Isshin.

"Well it's to be expected after all the training and guidance they have received over the years from us and my brother." Isshin took note of the change in expression of the three captains at hearing him mention his brother. "Is something wrong?"

"Well I'm sure you know there must be have been a reason for us to visit you and it involves your brother." Unohana answered at the temperature of the room began to rise.

"What the hell are you talking about? Have you forgotten what happened or do I need to remind you that he is dead and I would appreciate it if you didn't tell me anything that would spoil whatever memories I have left of him." Isshin responded as he began to leak Reiatsu which forced the others in the room to release some of their own to stay comfortable as they shared glances with one another and wondered if they should continue.

"Isshin, the reason we came here was because we felt it was too important to keep from you. Ichigo is very much alive but I'm afraid you won't like what comes next. He is now an Arrancar and not only that but he seems to be in allegiance with Aizen Sōsuke." They were lucky that they could consider themselves the most powerful taichō's as the crushing reiatsu that now pressed down upon them was incredible as they began pumping out their own as the glass jar that Isshin held in hand smashed from being held so tight.

"That's impossible, there's no way he could be a hollow damn it!" Isshin shouted as he slammed his fist down on the table in front of him.

"It was hard for me to see as well and I still don't think I have gotten over it but I saw it with my own eyes and it was defintly him although he doesn't seem to remember anything about us." Unohana replied as her smile softened slightly.

"How do you know it wasn't just a trick from Aizen, I've heard what his Zanpakutō can do." Isshin asked as he still tried to get his head around what he had just heard.

"That might've have been the case but he fought Yama-jii and there was also another Arrancar present who told us about Ichigo." Shunsui responded as he tilted his straw hat to slightly cover his face.

"So he fought the old man and lived eh? That sounds like something Ichigo would do." Isshin let out a small chuckle which surprised the others, "It also sounds like the Gotei 13 have big mess on their hands which I guess means that you could use another pair of hands."

"Surely you're not suggesting that you'll take up your old role, Isshin" Ukitake responded in surprise at hearing Isshin's words.

"From what I heard my old division no longer has a taichō and I'm sure the old man won't mind letting me come back although I have a few questions for him and plus, someone's going to have to knock some sense into Ichigo's thick skull." Isshin let out a smile as everyone began to relax, "oh and one more thing, don't mention anything to my daughters about Ichigo." Isshin finished as Karin and Yuzu entered the house.

**Next time find out what division Isshin will be captain of and also expect some Ichigo and Harribel since I didn't fit any into this chapter. I'm still not 100% sure on giving Ichigo more Fracción since I honestly don't think he needs anymore and it won't be necessary to the story but if I decide on doing so then it will probably be next chapter that it will happen. **


	14. Kurosaki-taicho

**Once again thanks for all the follows, favourites and also all the reviews I receive. Enjoy the chapter!**

It had started off as a normal day for Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni but then something happened and that something was a visit from Kurosaki Isshin, one of the original captains and one of the strongest Shinigami that had ever lived. His visit had resulted in the reason why Yamamoto was currently making his way to the captains meeting room in the first division grounds. As he walked through the grounds, members of the first division bowed as he passed followed closely by his long serving lieutenant Sasakibe Chōjirō he began to think back to his meeting with the ex-captain.

Once Isshin had gotten a few things off his chest about what had happened to Ichigo, Yamamoto had been surprised when he requested to become a captain once again and although he knew the reason Isshin had requested to come back he didn't really mind at this point. Yamamoto knew that the only reason Isshin had come back was because he had found out about Ichigo being alive albeit an Arrancar and that he either wanted to kill Ichigo himself or find some way to save him from being a Hollow which Yamamoto knew was impossible to do. Although Isshin had his own personal goals Yamamoto couldn't turn down the chance to have a person of his strength back in the Gotei 13 considering they had just lost three captains and with Isshin returning that meant there was only one position remaining to fill.

Inside the large meeting room not only the captains but also the lieutenants waited patiently as they wondered why they had all been called to the meeting. Only three of the Shinigami present had any idea of what was going to be discussed but everyone knew that it was going to be something regarding the upcoming war. It had been three days since the betrayal of the three captains and tensions were running high especially as rumours of a Hollow matching Yamamoto in battle spread throughout Seireitei and everyone began to wonder just how strong Aizen and his army really was.

It was Karin's first meeting since becoming fifth division captain as she stood in the place where Aizen had once stood. She thought about the possible reasons why the meeting could have been called and she wondered if it had anything to do with the three experienced captains being at her house the night before. She recalled that as soon as she and Yuzu had entered the room whatever they were discussing with her father suddenly stopped and the three captains left soon after but Isshin hadn't involved himself in the affairs of the Gotei 13 in a long time and was even against her and Yuzu joining which is why they joined the academy so late.

Snapped from her thoughts her eyes found their way to the large wooden doors that made up the entrance to the meeting hall as they suddenly swung open and Yamamoto entered followed closely by Sasakibe. Yamamoto took his usual seat at the head of the two lines as Sasakibe stood to his left as he officially begun the meeting with a strike of his cane on the wooden floor.

"You are all probably wondering why I have called a meeting only a few days after our last but an interesting development has arisen and one that will strengthen the Gotei 13 tenfold," Yamamoto began as everyone suddenly became rather interested in what was being said even Kenpachi who normally didn't care about what was being discussed. "Due to Seireitei being in a state of emergency because of the deaths of the Central 46 I now make all final decisions regarding the Gotei 13 and Soul Society as a whole. As you all know we lost three taichō's but have successfully filled the fifth division with Kurosaki Karin and I have called this meeting to announce that another position has now been filled." As Yamamoto finished nearly everyone looked surprised as they all began to wonder who could possibly be worthy enough to fill the role of a captain and some of the lieutenants began to wonder if Yamamoto had decided to promote one of them.

Suddenly the large doors swung open once again as everyone turned their attention towards the entrance as Isshin entered wearing the familiar white haori of a captain that fitted perfectly and looked right at home on his back and stood opposite Yamamoto. Karin's eyes were practically popping from her head as she was too stunned to even speak as the younger Shinigami that were present including most of the captains began to wonder who he was as those who weren't close to Karin or Yuzu had never seen Isshin before and only knew of him by name.

"Apologies for speaking out of turn Sōtaichō but who is this man and what squad does he belong to?" Byakuya asked as he stepped forward form his place in the line.

"Ahhh let me guess, you must be Kuchiki Byakuya, grandson of Kuchiki Ginrei." Isshin interrupted before Yamamoto could answer as he looked towards Byakuya. He didn't need to guess since he already knew who all the captains were even though he hadn't been a part of the Gotei 13 for a long time but Isshin always liked to mess with people.

"You say that as if you know my grandfather." Byakuya responded, still holding his noble posture.

"Of course I knew your grandfather he was a hell of a taichō if I do say so myself and if your half as strong as he was one then you should be proud of yourself, I think even the old man over here will agree with me." Isshin finished as he nodded towards Yamamoto who didn't show any reaction to being called an old man however one captain did as she stepped forward.

"You should show more respect towards Yamamoto-sōtaichō before…" Soifon began however was cut off before she could finish.

"Save your lectures for someone that cares Soifon-taichō, I've had enough lectures from Yama-jii to last a life time so I don't need them from you." Isshin brought more surprised looks from most of the room barring the captains that knew him as he talked back to Soifon and referred to Yamamoto as Yama-jii which was something only Kyōraku was known to do.

"What the hell are you doing here, Goat-face?" Karin surprised a lot of those present in the room with her outburst and the nickname as she faced Isshin with an angry look on her face.

"My sweet daughter, it's goat-face-taichō to you and now we have two Kurosaki's as taichō's once again like it always should be." Isshin answered with a grin as everyone's eyes widened at calling her daughter as the more observant currently present began to figure out who this man was and also wonder what he meant by the two Kurosaki's part

"Enough! We have better things to be doing then listening to you ramble on Kurosaki-taichō." Yamamoto broke Isshin from his private conversation as his cane connected against the ground.

"Ahhh just like the old times huh Retsu." Isshin cast a smile towards Unohana who returned it with one of her own only adding to the mystery behind Isshin as everyone wondered how he knew Unohana by her first name and was confident enough to call her by it on front of the other captains which was something even Ukitake and Kyōraku never did. "You must be Hisagi-fukutaichō and what's with my fukutaichō's and the number 69." Isshin nodded towards Hisagi and took his place where Tōsen had once stood in between Komamura Sajin and Zaraki Kenpachi.

"For those of you who don't know who this person is, his name is Kurosaki Isshin and is taking up his old position as ninth division taichō. I suggest that you show him the respect he deserves even if he can be rather infuriating to deal with. If there are no questions then this meeting shall come to a close." Yamamoto sent a glance towards Isshin who only smiled in response as he waited a moment for anyone to speak up.

"I have a question, how come he can just waltz in here and become a taichō without taking any test? Hell even I did something to earn this position." Yamamoto felt like Kenpachi had a valid point and was surprised some of the other captains hadn't already asked what the battle hungry captain had.

"I have nothing to prove to all of you as I'm sure certain people here can vouch for me but if you want to test me then I am more than willing to accept and see if you deserve the title of Kenpachi. I don't even mind some of the other taichō's helping you out." Isshin replied as his smile never dropped gaining surprised looks as he willingly challenged Kenpachi and any other captain who was willing to a fight while Yamamoto, Unohana, Ukitake and Kyōraku only thought one thing, he had never changed.

"Tch I don't need anyone to crush you when I can do it by myself." Kenpachi retorted as they stared each other down. Normally Yamamoto would have stated that his decision was final and no one could challenge it but he was rather interested in seeing how Isshin faired since leaving the Gotei 13 and being out of action for a long time.

"So be it, for those of you who feel that Kurosaki Isshin needs to be tested then I suggest you be at the eleventh division training area in one hour to witness Zaraki-taichō and Kurosaki-taichō fight one another. Dismissed!" Yamamoto slammed his cane against the floor once again to end the meeting as everyone began to file out and he knew no one would miss this fight and a chance to see just how strong Isshin actually was.

The hour passed like a minute as everyone anticipated the coming fight as they gathered at the eleventh division. There was a reason Yamamoto had chosen the eleventh division and that was because it had the largest training ground due to it being the division known for its swordsmanship and straight up fighting. Looking around he noticed that every captain and lieutenant were present alongside the Ryoka who still hadn't went home due to injuries that were getting treated and Shihōin Yoruichi stood next to Soifon as she had decided to stay in Soul Society for the time being instead of returning to the human world with Urahara. He also noticed that there were numerous seated Shinigami from various divisions including one he recognised as Kurosaki Yuzu who stood close to Karin.

Karin had no idea what to expect from the fight since she had never actually seen her father in a serious fight before although she knew her father had been very powerful he hadn't fought anyone in a long time so she had no idea if he was still the same person he used to be. However she did know what Kenpachi was capable of after having seen him fight numerous times and she knew he was extremely powerful and she began to worry for her father's safety and she noticed she wasn't the only one as Yuzu nervously fidgeted beside her.

Although Orihime and been able to heal there wounds, Tatsuki and the others had decided to stay in Seireitei for a few extra days as they got to know a lot of the Shinigami and even Ishida was beginning to enjoy his time there even though he had lost his powers after his fight with Kurotsuchi. They had been practically dragged to the fight by Rukia and Yuzu but as the fight grew closer they all got more and more interested in watching especially after hearing who was going to be involved. Tatsuki was feeling rather down with herself after being what she described as humiliated by Aizen although they all considered the mission to Soul Society a success since there goal was to save Rukia and that's what they did so they felt that watching the fight would take their mind off Aizen.

The group had been informed by Rukia about what had taken place after Tatsuki fell unconscious on the Sōkyoku Hill and how two Arrancar had appeared and one of them had fought Yamamoto and they had also been told that the Gotei 13 had no idea what Aizen was ultimately planning which worried the group greatly and they also had no idea how strong the rest of Aizen's army was or how big but they all had one thing in mind once they returned home and that was to grow stronger.

"I'll ask you one more time before we start, are you sure that you don't want any of the other taichō's to join you? No one will think any less of you if you do." Isshin's voice silenced the many discussions that were currently taking place amongst the gathered crowd as he stood a fair distance from the crowd and opposite Kenpachi.

Ignoring the question posed to him by Isshin, Kenpachi lunged forward with blistering speed as he aimed to slice Isshin in two however his Zanpakutō didn't find the intended target as Isshin suddenly vanished and Kenpachi grunted as he felt the foot of Isshin collide with the back of his head as he was sent tumbling forward from the force of the kick. Kenpachi quickly recovered and once again charged towards Isshin who calmly stood with his arms by his side as he stared at the incoming Kenpachi. Isshin Shunpoed once again however Kenpachi was quick to react as he twisted round to block Isshin's kick with his arm and aimed an upwards slash towards Isshin's chest. Kenpachi let out a groan of frustration as Isshin dodged once more as his jagged blade cut through the air as Isshin appeared opposite Kenpachi and they ended up in nearly exactly the same places as they started the fight.

"What the hell do you call this? I don't like to waste my time with people who only run away so draw your Zanpakutō and give me a fight." Kenpachi called out he grew frustrated at Isshin not drawing his Zanpakutō as Isshin's face grew into a smile and his hand slowly reached towards the handle of his sword. Kenpachi didn't have time to react as blood suddenly erupted from his chest as Isshin suddenly appeared behind him with his Zanpakutō drawn and Kenpachi fell to one knee.

"So fast…" Soifon muttered at the same time as nearly everyone's barring the older captain's eyes widened at witnessing the speed of Isshin as only certain Shinigami amongst all those present managed to keep their eyes on Isshin however they all knew that the fight was far from over as Kenpachi roared back into the fight as he recklessly charged towards Isshin.

It was quite clear to Isshin that Kenpachi was nothing but a brute who relied on nothing more than overwhelming his opponent with his strength and stamina but against someone like Isshin that simply wouldn't work. Isshin easily parried the wild swing from the grinning Kenpachi and dodged under the next as Kenpachi sent strike after strike towards Isshin who backpedalled with each swing.

To the less inexperienced amongst those watching the fight it would have looked like Kenpachi was beginning to overwhelm Isshin and it looked like Kenpachi himself was beginning to believe it as his grin grew wider with each step Isshin took however the more experienced knew that Isshin hadn't begun to take Kenpachi serious yet and was just toying with him.

"Why doesn't he fight back?" the lieutenant of the eight division spoke aloud as she stood behind her captain whose smile widened at hearing the question.

"Well Nanao, it's something Isshin enjoys doing. He makes them feel like they are winning then puts them in their place when he feels like it. Fighting is just one big game for someone like him." Kyōraku replied as he muttered the last part under his breath as if he didn't want anyone to hear it however Nanao was beginning to think that Isshin sounded just like Kenpachi after hearing her captain.

"It can be a rather frustrating experience since it's hard to tell if you're actually winning or Isshin is letting you win." Ukitake spoke next as he stood next to his fellow captain and close friend. "It's a long story but one you'll no doubt hear soon." Ukitake smiled as he noticed the curious look on Nanao's face as she obviously wondered what type of relationship Isshin had with Ukitake and Kyōraku.

Seeing that he had Isshin on the back foot Kenpachi's grin widened as he began to release more reiatsu and put more power behind his strikes as Isshin parried or dodged each one sent his way. Seeing an opening, Kenpachi lunged forward aiming to pierce Isshin's chest however he found himself surprised as Isshin deflected the blade with the back of his left hand sending Kenpachi off balance for a split-second and in that second Isshin took advantage as his Zanpakutō pierced the shoulder of Kenpachi with ease as blood decorated the ground below.

"You're not going anywhere. This is just getting fun!" Kenpachi roared as his hand shot up to grab Isshin's blade before it could pulled from his shoulder and he lashed out at Isshin who barely managed to Shunpo to safety however Isshin and everyone else was suddenly surprised at the sudden increase in speed from Kenpachi as he suddenly charged towards Isshin once again.

Ignoring the small cut on his right arm, Isshin's smile grew wider at seeing Kenpachi's speed increase as he parried another strike and sent one of his own towards Kenpachi who side stepped to dodge it and the two fighters locked blades once again. As they their blades locked together the hand of Isshin rose up and he pointed his index finger towards Kenpachi's stomach as a large red ball of energy began to form and Kenpachi's eyes widened at realising what was going to happen.

Most of the Shinigami present looked on in surprise as Isshin released a Shakkahō without uttering a word which was known to only be possible for those who were masters of Kidō as the blast pierced through the stomach of Kenpachi who grunted out in pain as the Shakkahō destroyed much of the ground behind him and Isshin jumped back to put some distance between the two.

"Bastard, where's the fun in using pansy spells like that." Kenpachi said as he rested his Zanpakutō across his shoulder and ignored the small hole in his stomach as some of the lower ranked Shinigami cringed at seeing the wound and wondered how he was still standing.

"You're lucky I held back otherwise that pansy spell could have blown apart your whole chest. Now stop holding back and remove that pointless eye patch." Isshin suddenly got serious again as he ordered Kenpachi to remove his eye patch whose smile widened at hearing the request.

"I guess I should've known I wouldn't be able to do shit against you wearing this thing." Kenpachi replied as he slowly reached up towards his eye patch. The sudden release of reiatsu cracked the ground around Kenpachi as he ripped the eye patch from his eye and dropped it to the ground. The lower ranked Shinigami watching the fight began to feel the pressure as some of the captains watching released some reiatsu of their own to counter Kenpachi's and help the Shinigami behind them.

The golden reiatsu that had engulfed Kenpachi suddenly disappeared as fast as it had come and he suddenly appeared in front of Isshin with his Zanpakutō drawn back. The ground beneath Isshin was destroyed as his own Zanpakutō met Kenpachi's in a violent collision blowing a huge shockwave past the gathered crowd.

"Not bad but still not good enough." Isshin said as he began to push back Kenpachi back. Using Shunpo, Isshin broke the deadlock and suddenly appeared behind Kenpachi aiming for his lower back however Kenpachi managed to swivel around and barely deflect the stab which grazed his side and caused more blood to hit the ground as Isshin Shunpoed away once again.

"Looks like Zaraki-taichō is simply outclassed in this fight." Renji said as he watched Kenpachi and Isshin clash one more.

"Tch, I didn't think Kurosaki-taichō would be this strong never mind dominate the taichō this much." Ikkaku responded as he stood to the side of Renji while Yumichika stood to his right and they continued to watch the fight with interest.

Meanwhile another conversation was taking place amongst the crowd as Kyōraku and Ukitake discussed the fight alongside Unohana. "It seems Isshin is still as strong as I remember." Kyōraku said as he watched the fight with his usual smile still on his face as Ukitake nodded his head in response.

"It would probably be best if we called this fight to a conclusion soon Yamamoto-sōtaichō." Sasakibe spoke as he stood behind Yamamoto and close to the group of experienced captains.

"I agree with Sasakibe-fukutaichō, it wouldn't be ideal to lose a taichō especially after the incident with Aizen and the others." Ukitake responded while Yamamoto simply remained silent at the conversation.

Karin watched on as Isshin cut into Kenpachi once again and easily blocked a retaliation from the 11th division captain. She couldn't believe how easy her father was making the fight look and how much he had outclassed Kenpachi as the fight continued to rage on. She knew that her Father was strong as she had heard many things about him since she had joined the Gotei 13 mainly from Ukitake and Kyōraku but she had never seen her father fight other than friendly training when she was very young so to see him dominate a captain of the Gotei 13 this easy shocked Karin to her very core.

Yuzu stood next to her twin and watched the fight in shock as she watched her father outclass Kenpachi in straight up swordsmanship without even releasing his Shikai. She had never really been a fan of fighting especially after being trained in Kidō by Unohana and also joining the fourth division but watching the fight currently taking place excited her a little and she thought about her own strength and how she would stand up to a captain. She knew she was close in achieving her Bankai and she hoped that the upcoming war would not start for a while so she could achieve it and she began to wonder if her father would help her in her training.

"Enough! It is quite clear who is the victor here." Yamamoto's booming voice broke everyone including the two fighters away from their present thoughts as the fight suddenly came to a stop. Everyone took in the damage the two captains had taken and they all agreed with Yamamoto, Isshin had numerous small cuts on his torso but nothing that was really serious while everyone wondered how Kenpachi was still standing. The upper part of his shihakushō had practically been ripped to shreds as his torso was covered in cuts and burns and blood continued to drip down his body from the hole where Isshin's Shakkahō had shot straight through him.

"Not bad Zaraki-taichō, you even managed to cut me a few times. " Isshin laughed which brought an angry grunt from Kenpachi who stood with his Zanpakutō rested upon his shoulder, "To do that with brute force alone is pretty scary, you remind me of someone I used to know still standing with all those wounds. You should probably get yourself to the fourth division before you collapse." Isshin finished as he continued suddenly turning serious.

"At least there's one positive thing about you being a taichō, I know where to find you when I want a good fight." Kenpachi responded as his grin widened.

"Zaraki-taichō, I believe it would be best if you were to head to the fourth division so we can get you healed." Unohana spoke out surprising Kenpachi who turned around and immediately began to make his way towards the fourth division or risk upsetting Unohana, "You as well Isshin, I would hate for you to lose some more blood." Unohana then turned to face Isshin with a rather scary smile who had begun to make his way other to Karin and Yuzu.

"After all these years your still a scary women huh Yachiru." Isshin spoke so only Unohana could hear him as her smile suddenly grew wider, "I wonder if you still have the ability to back up that creepy smile of yours" Isshin finished as he walked past Unohana who showed no reaction to Isshin's taunt and the crowd began to disperse as everyone who had been present began to think the same thing, their chances of winning the upcoming war had just increased tenfold.

-OO-

Two weeks had passed since Ichigo and Starrk had visited Soul Society and not much had changed during the time other than friendships growing stronger as everyone went around there usual business which was either train or do nothing at all. One of the friendships that had blossomed over the two weeks was between Zemi and Sung-sun as they found themselves walking down a large corridor on their way to Ichigo's palace.

"I take it Ichigo-sama is still out with Starrk" Sung-sun said as they walked side by side enjoying their usual conversation. Sung-sun enjoyed spending time with Zemi as she wasn't as loud and obnoxious as Apache and Mila-rose and could actually hold a decent conversation which nearly always revolved around Zemi telling her stories about Ichigo which she enjoyed listening to.

"Yeah, I really wish I knew where they went considering they even take Lilynette with them so why not me and why do you keep calling him Sama anyways." Zemi responded as she saw Sung-sun shrug her shoulders out the corner of her eye. Since Ichigo and Starrk had returned from Soul Society they had been leaving Las Noches for hours on end and travelling very far away since no one could sense there reiatsu and apparently even Aizen didn't know where they were going to but everyone knew that they were training extremely hard as often their clothes were nothing more than rags when they returned.

"Well even Harribel-sama doesn't know where they go to so maybe they might be doing something dangerous but that doesn't really explain why Lilynette would go unless Starrk just doesn't want to leave her alone when both he and Ichigo are away." Sung-sun replied as she began to wonder why Lilynette would be taken by Starrk to wherever it was they went.

"He wants me to get stronger yet he leaves me here and he's barely spent any time with me at all these past few weeks." Zemi grew angry as she thought about what Ichigo had told her a few weeks ago about helping her to grow stronger.

"You're already strong as it is Zemi or have you already forgotten how you beat me when we were training earlier." Sung-sun noticed the angry look on Zemi's face and she tried to calm the female Arrancar down.

"For as long as I remember I've had to rely on Ichigo to fight my battles for me so maybe now is a good time to show him that I don't have to rely on him anymore and I can grow stronger without him." Zemi said as they continued walking.

"There's nothing wrong with relying on others if you're not strong enough alone just look…" Sung-sun began to respond however a familiar voice cut her off before she could finish.

"What a nice surprise to bump into you two here." The grating voice Zemi hated interrupted their conversation as Nnoitra walked around the corner with his Fracción Tesra Lindocruz following close behind and stopped in front of the two friends who hadn't even noticed them coming towards them since they were so wrapped up on their conversation.

"What do you want Nnoitra?" Zemi said, still angry from her conversation with Sung-sun.

"Still not showing any respect to those higher up then yourself huh? I hope you didn't forget what I said the last time we found ourselves in a situation like this." Nnoitra responded with a lecherous grin as Zemi tensed up at remembering their last encounter.

"Is there something we can help you with Nnoitra-sama?" Sung-sun spoke up as she stepped forward and tried to diffuse the situation before it got out of hand.

"You're not too bad, once I kill that bitch Harribel and take her place then I might let you live or maybe you can serve under me." Nnoitra laughed once more as he noticed Sung-sun narrow her eyes in disgust while Zemi took a step forward to stand in front of Nnoitra.

"Growing some guts eh? Your precious Primera isn't around to save you although it might be nice to leave him a present for when he returns." Nnoitra looked down at Zemi who was trying her best to not look intimidated.

"I don't need him to deal with someone as pathetic as you!" Zemi's anger got the better of her as she lashed out at Nnoitra who seemed a little surprised at the outburst along with Tesra and Sung-sun.

"Stupid bitch, I'm going to enjoy ending your pathetic life!" Nnoitra roared back as he reached towards his overly large Zanpakutō.

"I would think twice before doing that, Nnoitra" The serious voice of Harribel interrupted the confrontation as she suddenly appeared behind Zemi and Sung-sun who looked shock at her sudden arrival.

"You going to try and stop me if I do, bitch?" Nnoitra suddenly ignored Zemi and turned his gaze towards Harribel. Harribel recalled how Ichigo had asked her to keep an eye on Zemi when he wasn't around since he didn't trust most of the inhabitants of Las Noches and she was glad that she had gotten here in time to stop whatever was about to happen.

"It's for your own good that I'm telling you to stop otherwise who knows what might happen once he finds out." Harribel said as she remained unaffected by the glare Nnoitra sent her way.

"You think I'm scared of him, I'll crush him and become the Primera myself!" Nnoitra began to grow angrier which began to unnerve everyone other than Harribel.

"Where do you think he is right now? After the training he had done with Starrk I'm pretty sure he could kill you without even releasing his Resurrección in fact I doubt he would even break a sweat." Harribel's word's cut deep into Nnoitra whose eyes narrowed and low growl escaped his lips. "It's time for us to leave Zemi, Sung-sun." Harribel finished as turned and began to make her way down the hallway as Zemi and Sung-sun began to follow.

"Don't walk away from me bitch!" The large Zanpakutō of Nnoitra suddenly flew past Sung-sun whose eyes widened at the speed and how it was heading straight for Harribel who had stopped walking. Harribel's hand gripped the handle of her own Zanpakutō as she readied herself to turn around and block the long ranged attack however the sound of Sonīdo filled the air as everyone's eyes widened at seeing who had arrived.

Ichigo's outstretched arm held Nnoitra's Zanpakutō with ease shocking everyone at having blocked it with his bare hand as Starrk appeared behind Harribel with Lilynette following close behind. Behind her high collar a hint of pink adorned Harribel's features as she took in Ichigo's appearance, he had lost his jacket from his training with Starrk and Harribel ignored the current situation as she stared at the muscled torso of Ichigo before he suddenly disappeared from view.

No one other than Starrk and barely Harribel were able to keep track of Ichigo as his boot suddenly connected with the back of Nnoitra's head and his face slammed into the floor below. Nnoitra let out a groan as Ichigo's boot kept him face down on the floor and his eyes widened as he began to feel Ichigo's reiatsu crush him into the floor even further. Tesra didn't have time to react when Ichigo had suddenly appeared behind Nnoitra and the reiatsu Ichigo was now releasing made it clear that he wouldn't survive if he tried to help his master.

"Let this be your first warning Nnoitra, I will kill you if I see you even look at Zemi, Harribel and Nelliel again is that understood?" Hearing the groan from Nnoitra Ichigo jumped away from his fellow Espada and landed next to Harribel as Starrk let out a large yawn.

"Well I think it's time for me to get some sleep, let's go Lilynette." With a nod of the head towards Ichigo and Harribel, Starrk disappeared through the use of Sonīdo as Nnoitra began to get to his feet.

"You bastard, I'll kill you for this!" Nnoitra shouted at Ichigo who began to walk towards him.

"If you want to fight me then come and find me sometime and I'll show you the difference in our power." Ichigo finished as he walked past Nnoitra, followed closely by the three female Arrancar. Ichigo and Harribel walked in silence while Zemi and Sung-sun followed close behind as they made their way towards Ichigo's palace, ignoring the angry shouts from Nnoitra who was no doubt taking his anger out on an unsuspecting Arrancar.

A short while later they reached their destination as Zemi and Sung-sun went off to their own conversation, leaving Ichigo and Harribel to themselves. "I guess I should find a change of clothes unless you would prefer me to stay like this." Ichigo smiled as he had noticed Harribel glancing his way on their journey here while Harribel turned away in response as she realised she had been caught taking in Ichigo's body. Letting out a small laugh at Harribel's expense he quickly entered his bed room and a few minutes later found himself back with her, this time wearing his usual white Jacket.

"Thanks for stepping in back there or who knows what would have happened." Ichigo thanked Harribel who simply nodded in response.

"I was just looking out for them both like you told me although you do seem to have rather good timing when it comes to helping me out." Harribel smiled under her collar as recalled Ichigo stopping Nnoitra's attack and also the very first time they had met.

"Well I wish I was there sooner but if he tries anything again I'm not sure I can hold back from killing him even if it meant disobeying Aizen." Ichigo replied as he found himself at Harribel's beauty.

"I didn't think you cared what Aizen thought." Harribel didn't fail to notice Ichigo's gaze upon her face and it surprised her when she realised that it didn't make her feel uncomfortable but pleased that Ichigo was looking at her.

"I don't really but I don't think it's a good idea to make an enemy of him for a silly reason such as Nnoitra. I reckon I'm a match for Aizen or maybe even stronger but I'm not sure about what side the other Espada would take and then there's Gin and Tōsen to deal with." Ichigo's gaze left Harribel's face as he realised he had been staring at her for a little while.

"Well I personally don't see a reason for us to distrust Aizen in anyway, after all he did give us this opportunity in the first place so without him then we wouldn't be standing here." Harribel replied as she followed Ichigo out onto the balcony.

"You've got a point but I can't help but feel that he's got something planned when the war begins or maybe I'm just being paranoid." Ichigo let out a small laugh as Harribel shuck her head at hearing Ichigo call himself paranoid.

"Have you had any more dreams since the one you told me about?" Harribel changed the subject which Ichigo didn't seem to enjoy as he let out a tired sigh and brought his hand through his long hair.

"No I've only had one regarding me being a Shinigami but if I had to guess then I think it's because I haven't seen anything that reminds me of that time and maybe its better this way." Ichigo answered, receiving a curious look from Harribel.

"What do you mean by its better this way?" Harribel questioned once again.

"I've been thinking about it over the past two weeks and I'm beginning to think that it might be best if I don't remember about my past life since we are heading into war with the very people I once knew." Ichigo let out another sigh which he felt he had been doing a lot lately.

"I don't think you have much of a choice as it stands, if what you say is true then the only way not to remember is to avoid seeing any Shinigami at all which is practically impossible at this point unless…" Harribel began as she noticed that Ichigo was torn on what was best.

"I don't take part in this war at all which is never going to happen." Ichigo finished what Harribel was going to say before she could finish.

"Will remembering your past life really effect you that much, in the end you're still a hollow and it's not like the Shinigami are going to welcome you back with open arms since you've seen how they react towards hollows of any kind." Harribel began to feel a little bit sorry for Ichigo as she realised that even if he did remember those who he was close to then he would no doubt be forced to fight them.

"I guess you're right but what I'm getting at is that it'll only make things harder for me once I do begin to remember but I guess I'll have to deal with that once it happens." Ichigo replied as he felt a hand on his shoulder as he saw Harribel facing him out of the corner of his eye.

"Well whatever happens you will always have me and Starrk by your side no matter what the outcome of this war." Harribel reassured Ichigo as she let go of his shoulder however she felt herself be engulfed in a warm embrace.

"Thanks Tier." Ichigo didn't know why he hugged Harribel but he knew that it felt right by going off the reaction from Harribel as she returned the embrace.

**So the fight between Kenpachi and Isshin wasn't originally planned to happen but as I begun writing this chapter it just popped into my head so I decided to put it in so I hope it gave you all good idea of where Isshin's power is. **

**I also decided to do a two week timeskip in this chapter since I want to get where the Manga/anime begins in this arc i.e. Ulquiorra and Yammy visit Karakura and that will probably happen next chapter but it might not be those two that go. **

**I've also decided not to give Ichigo anymore Fracción in case anyone was still wondering. **


	15. Tears

**Once again thanks for all the follows, favourites and also all the reviews I receive. Enjoy the chapter!**

It had been nearly a month since Tatsuki and her friends had invaded Soul Society to save Rukia and after being allowed to stay there for a week since they had played a small part in revealing Aizen's plans and also saving Rukia's life. After being nearly killed by Aizen, Tatsuki had sworn to herself that she would get stronger for not only her own sake but her friends as well and after watching the fight between the two captains and hearing about how a hollow had supposedly matched Yamamoto she knew she had no choice but to do so.

After returning from Soul Society Tatsuki knew the perfect person that could teach her how to improve her Hakuda skills and that was Yoruichi Shihōin. Tatsuki knew that Yoruichi was an expert in Hakuda and Shunpo since had already received some training from the ex-captain before she went to Soul Soceity so she had immediately asked the ex-captain to help her grow stronger which is why Tatsuki found herself currently in in the basement of Urahara Kisuke's small shop. To call it a basement was a bit of an understatement as far as Tatsuki was concerned since the basement was more like a large training room which stretched as far as the eye could see as Tatsuki currently sat on a large rock which was just one of many in the training area.

"I'm pretty impressed with how much you've improved over the two weeks we've been training Tatsuki." Yoruichi suddenly appeared beside Tatsuki who was sweating heavily after just having been sparring with Yoruichi. Yoruichi was a slender, dark-skinned woman of average height with golden-coloured eyes and long purple hair which was held into a ponytail and she wore a black sleeveless undershirt, an orange over-shirt with two white straps on each shoulder, a large beige sash around her waist and black stretch pants with a pair of lightweight brown shoes.

"Well that's thanks to your crazy methods." Tatsuki groaned as she recalled what she had went through since she had begun their training.

"Of course you do still have quite a way to go to get to my level," Yoruichi laughed as she received a glare from Tatsuki, "but I must admit for only having your Bankai for a few weeks it has gotten much stronger from what I remember when I first saw it and you have gotten much faster when you're using Shunpo."

Listening to what Yoruichi had to say Tatsuki began to think about how her Bankai now felt much more comfortable to use and it now just felt a second layer of skin and she also recalled how she could now summon two large claws at from her fists at will as she recalled what Yoruichi had explained to her regarding Bankai's begin able to mature as the wielder grew stronger.

"Yeah I've noticed my Bankai has become stronger and I can now last longer when I am using it if I compare it to when I beat Byakuya." Tatsuki responded as the two females began to relax as they sat in silence for a little while. "Do you really think it might be true what Hats and Clogs mentioned regarding what Aizen is really after from this whole thing?" Tatsuki suddenly asked which gained the attention of Yoruichi.

"Both Kisuke and Mayuri are pretty sure that Aizen wants to create the Ōken and although they might not look like the cleverest duo I can assure you they are two of the cleverest Shinigami that have ever existed which means it's better to trust what they think rather than ignore them although they are still unsure how he plans to go about it." Yoruichi replied seriously as she noticed Tatsuki smile out the corner of her eye.

"Well whatever he plans I'm sure we'll deal it with it when it happens." Tatsuki responded while Yoruichi only thought that Tatsuki was oversimplifying things by a long shot. Their conversation was soon interrupted as Urahara suddenly appeared in front of the two with his usual fan hiding his face.

"Sorry to interrupt but I've picked up some Hollow reiatsu on the outskirts of town on my sensors, Orihime and Sado are already on the way but I thought it would be best to let you know in case you want to help them out and it might be good to test yourself against a real hollow for a change." Urahara faced Tatsuki who mumbled an agreement as she jumped down from the rock, called out a goodbye and disappeared from the training area.

"I hope you're not hiding something, Kisuke." Yoruichi faced her long-time friend as he snapped his fan shut in response.

"Your words hurt me Yoruichi of course I'm not hiding anything. I'm sure they'll all be fine." Urahara responded as they both made their way into his shop.

-OO-

Ulquiorra looked on as Yammy sucked the souls from the humans that had gathered on the edge of the clearing hoping to gather the attention of those that were the targets of their current missions and the reason why they were standing on the outskirts of Karakura Town. It hadn't taken long for the three humans to become attracted to the spectacle as Ulquiorra used his Pesquisa to sense the incoming targets.

Yammy had just finished as Orihime and Chad sprinted into the clearing and the two stood opposite the two Arrancar and Ulquiorra could see them begin to chat amongst themselves. "They have familiar sounding appearances to what we were told by Rukia and the others back in Soul Society, I believe they are called Arrancar." Orihime spoke with an unusually serious tone as she recalled what Rukia had told them in Soul Society

"We can't let them hurt any more people so let's hold them off until Tatsuki gets here." Chad's deep tone brought a nod of the head from Orihime.

"Are these the humans we're after Ulquiorra?" Yammy turned to face the two human friends.

"You need to work on your observational skills Yammy, deal with these trash while we wait for the other one to show up." Ulquiorra coldly responded as he sensed the remaining human target close in on their position.

"Brazo Derecha de Gigante" Chad's arm transformed into the usual black and red armoured substance as he charged towards Yammy whose grin widened while Ulquiorra looked on impassively. Chad's arm exploded in a shower of blood as he collided with the fist of Yammy and Chad fell to the ground as Yammy's grin never left his face.

"Sado!" Orihime cried out as she witnessed her friend be tossed aside with ease as she began to sprint towards the downed Chad and she hoped that Tatsuki would get here in time.

"Ulquiorra is this girl trash, too?" Yammy called out as he towered over the kneeling Orihime who knelt by the side of Chad.

"Yes. Trash." Hearing Ulquiorra's answer, Yammy aimed a soft punch towards Orihime aiming to kill her in one shot.

"Santen Kesshun, I reject" Orihime's hairpiece began to glow as it suddenly transformed into three small fairies who flew in front of Orihime and a bright orange shield formed in front of her, blocking Yammy's weak attack however the shield still cracked under the pressure. "Souten Kishun" At Orihime's command the three fairies formed another barrier this time over the mutilated arm of Chad as it slowly began to regenerate, surprising Yammy and Ulquiorra.

"What, she can heal? Come to think of it this guy is still alive, he's pretty durable!" Ulquiorra ignored the loud voice of Yammy as began to realise that Orihime's power wasn't simply healing Chad's arm but more rejecting the area within the barrier and making it as if the injury had never occurred and watched on as Orihime slowly got to her feet.

"Tsubaki, I reject!" One of the fairies was suddenly engulfed in a bright light as it began to charge towards Yammy who was engulfed in an explosion as Tsubaki collided with his outstretched palm.

"What was that, a fly?" Orihime fell to her knees as the smoke cleared and Tsubaki crumbled to little pieces and dropped to the ground. "What should I do, Ulquiorra? This one has some strange abilities, should we bring her back to Aizen?" Yammy asked as he walked towards Orihime.

"That's not necessary, kill her." Ulquiorra's cold voice answered as Yammy sent another punch towards Orihime however he looked on in surprise as his fist collided with a metal clad fist of Tatsuki.

"Who the hell are you?" Yammy asked as Tatsuki turned around to check on her best friend.

"Sorry I'm late Orihime and don't bother apologising, you did well." Tatsuki said as she noticed Orihime begin to open her mouth and no doubt apologise and she turned around to face Yammy once again, "besides, everything will be fine after I beat these two. Bankai!" Tatsuki was engulfed in a bright light as she activated her Bankai and as the light died down she was clad in her familiar steel armour. "Hagane Aijin Sōzetsu Yoroi"

"Did she just say Bankai? Hey Ulquiorra is she the one?" Yammy scratched his head as he wondered if she was the one they were after.

"Yes. She is our target, Yammy." Ulquiorra replied as he examined Tatsuki.

"Then I guess you saved us the trouble of having to look for you!" Yammy called out as he sent a powerful punch towards Tatsuki who blocked it with her forearm.

"Are you the one who did that to Chad's arm?" Tatsuki asked as she held off Yammy with ease. "Then I'll take your right arm too." Yammy's eyes widened as Tatsuki summoned two sharp, steel claws from her right fist and she suddenly vanished from Yammy's sight. Ulquiorra watched on in surprise as Yammy let out loud roar and his right arm was sliced clean from his shoulder and it fell to the ground with a loud thump.

"What…t? Damn it, you little shit!" Yammy roared out as he gripped his shoulder in pain.

"Looks like you're struggling. Do you want to switch? Ulquiorra asked as he watched Yammy collect himself.

"Shut up!" Yammy shouted back as he reached for his Zanpakutō and began to unsheathe it.

"Are you really going to use your Zanpakutō on someone like her? Ulquiorra taunted Yammy.

"I said shut up, Damn it!" Yammy shouted once again as he grew more and more frustrated.

"Damn it! Go away, go away, go away!" Tatsuki suddenly grabbed her head which didn't go unnoticed by Ulquiorra and Yammy who didn't hesitate in taking advantage as he sent a crushing kick towards Tatsuki which connected with her stomach causing her to cough up blood. Ulquiorra watched as Tatsuki's reiatsu began to fluctuate and he noticed that at its height it was even higher than his own however at its lowest it was nothing more than trash.

"Tatsuki!" Tatsuki turned to the side as she heard Orihime call out her name and begin to run towards her.

"Stay back, Orihime!" Tatsuki's warning came too late as Orihime was sent flying through the air as the back of Yammy's hand connected with her face.

"Shut up! I don't know why've stopped moving and I don't care so just die already!" Yammy connected with another crushing punch on Tatsuki who found herself unable to move as her inner hollow crippled her body. Tatsuki's armour had begun to shatter and she was now on the brink of losing conscience as Yammy sent punch after punch towards her however he grunted in surprise as his fist connected with a large red barrier.

"Hello and sorry about being late, Tatsuki" The shield disappeared and Urahara and Yoruichi came into view.

"They just keep coming one after another. Well if you're all lining up like this then that means you wanna die first!" Yammy sent another punch aimed towards Urahara however he suddenly found himself flying through the air as Yoruichi suddenly grabbed his one remaining arm and flipped him over. "What the hell you stupid bitch!" Yammy suddenly jumped up however Yoruichi wasn't fazed and she appeared above Yammy and sent a crushing blow to his head sending him back to the floor once again and then went over to see how badly hurt Orihime was.

"I'll kill you, bitch!" Yammy suddenly appeared behind Yoruichi who realised that Yammy had begun to charge a point blank cero and she knew she had no chance of getting both her and Orihime out of danger before she was engulfed in a large explosion." Ha! There's no way you could dodge a cero from that close." Yammy laughed however it was short lived as the smoke cleared and Urahara stood in front of Yoruichi and Orihime. "You've got to be friggin' kidding me! How the hell could you dodge that?"

"You should be able to tell just by looking. Since deflecting it is dangerous to bystanders, I merely dissipated it by meeting it with a blast of equal power. It seems you don't believe me then perhaps I should demonstrate it again. Scream, Benihime!" Urahara called out his signature attack as a red beam of energy sped towards Yammy who had no chance of escaping the attack however Urahara and Yoruichi looked on in surprise as Ulquiorra appeared in front of Yammy and easily deflected the attack away with his bare hand and knocked back Yammy.

"Idiot. These two are Urahara Kisuke and Yoruichi Shihōin, they are at a level far beyond yours and at this rate you will die unless we leave but it matters not since we have completed our mission." Ulquiorra stretched his arm out and focused his reiatsu into his fingertip which opened a familiar Garganta.

"So you're just going to run away?" Yoruichi called out before Ulquiorra could step through the portal.

"You're one to talk. You two, who have to protect your wounded partners and still fight against me, the odds are rather terrible but like I said we have completed our mission so have no need to stay here. I will inform Aizen-sama that the fake Shinigami we were targeting is nothing more than trash." Ulquiorra responded, following Yammy into the Garganta which closed quickly after he stepped through, leaving Urahara and Yoruichi to help the three injured humans.

-OO-

The Espada were scattered around on many of the large ledges that stuck out from the grey walls of the huge meeting hall which gave places for the Espada to stand and sit while some of the Números and Privaron also stood or sat on the floor around the room. Aizen sat on the large throne which overlooked the rest of the room with Gin and Tōsen stood to either side of him and Ichigo stood on one ledge while Starrk stood to his right and Harribel to his left. The ledge was the highest point in the room apart from Aizen's throne and Ichigo and the others could look over all those that had gathered in the room.

Zemi stood with Apache, Mila-rose and Sung-sun on the opposite side of the room and Ichigo could see them quietly chat amongst themselves and he had to admit that he was surprised at how quiet they were actually being. The ledge closest to Ichigo was occupied by Nel who was flanked by her two Fracción, Dondochakka and Pesche while the one to the left of her was occupied by Barragan who sat in his throne that was carried around by one of the many Fracción that stood behind him. Grimmjow and Nnoitra sat on another ledge with the many Fracción that served under Grimmjow while Tesra stood next to Nnoitra and Szayel stood with a few of his own Fracción on another ledge.

"It seems they have returned." Starrk lazily spoke so only Ichigo and Harribel could hear him.

"I still don't see why we all need to be here, they either killed her or they didn't." Harribel replied before the large doors to the room swung open and Ulquiorra and Yammy made their way into the centre of the room as surprised looks appeared upon many of the faces in the room at seeing Yammy missing an arm.

"We have returned Aizen-sama." Ulquiorra broke the silence that had engulfed the room whilst Yammy knelt behind him.

"Welcome back Ulquiorra, Yammy. Now share your findings with your brothers and sister in this room." Aizen replied as he sat in his throne.

"As you wish, Aizen-sama" Ulquiorra reached up and plucked his own eye from its socket and held it out in front of him. "Please look carefully." The eye suddenly shattered and the pieces began to shimmer in the air as everyone in the room were suddenly able to not only see but feel what had occurred in the Human world through the viewpoint of Ulquiorra.

Ichigo dismissed the first human that had challenged Yammy as he watched the tall man transform his arm into what looked like some kind of Hollow armour but only to be defeated by Yammy with ease. Ichigo continued to watch and looked on in interest as he witnessed the young human girl seemingly heal her ally however as he watched closely he realised that it simply healing but somehow rejecting the fact that the injury had occurred at all. He knew that an ability like that could prove rather key in the war to come if she could simply reject injuries and he had a feeling Aizen would show some interest in the girl.

Continuing to watch, Ichigo witnessed the Human Shinigami known as Arisawa Tatsuki unleash her Bankai and he had to admit that he felt rather surprised by the reiatsu he could sense from her due to her still being a Human but he knew that at the rate she was currently at she would be no match for most of the Espada. Ichigo suddenly understood why Aizen had taken an interest in the girl when he felt her reiatsu begin to fluctuate and he was impressed with just how high it had gotten and he wondered what was going on when she stopped moving, letting Yammy practically finish her off in the process. Ichigo recognised the two newcomers to the scene as he remembered seeing them amongst the captains on the hill in Soul Society and he had since learnt that they were called Urahara Kisuke and Yoruichi Shihōin and that they were both ex-captains and were both a force to be reckoned with.

Ichigo's and everyone else's vision returned once Ulquiorra had stepped through the Garganta and everyone's attention turned back the current meeting. "I see, so that's why you thought she wasn't worth killing." Aizen spoke as he rested his head on his hand.

"Yes Aizen-sama, our orders were to kill her if it seemed she was a threat to us and…" Ulquiorra responded before he cut off by a loud voice.

"That's pathetic! If it was me I would have killed them all." Everyone's attention turned towards Grimmjow who had been the one to interrupt Ulquiorra. "If your orders have the phrase kill her in them then I'm pretty sure you should kill her."

"I agree, she is an enemy and even if there is no value in killing her, there is also no value in letting her live." Ichigo recognised the Arrancar that spoke this time as Shawlong Koufang and he knew that he was not only a part of Grimmjow's Fracción but was also one of the strongest Arrancar amongst those that weren't in the Espada he felt like he had point to what he was saying.

"Yammy, look how badly you got beaten up!" You might say that there was no value in killing her but all I can hear is we couldn't kill him!" Grimmjow continued as he turned his attention to Yammy this time.

"Hey Grimmjow, didn't you just watch? I got beaten by those two at the end not by the girl." Yammy retorted, turning to face Grimmjow.

"You don't get it, I said I would kill ALL of them in a single attack!" Grimmjow shouted at Yammy who had gotten to his feet.

"What did you say you b…" Yammy began to respond as he took a step towards Grimmjow however was cut short.

"Enough!" Ichigo had grown sick of the ongoing argument and was growing angry at the fact that Aizen hadn't stopped it so he decided to do it himself. Everyone now turned their attention to the new voice that had risen and many eyes widened at realising the Primera had interrupted the argument. Many of the lower ranked Arrancar's gaze found anywhere but the eyes of the Primera interesting after many of them had heard rumours regarding how much power he held and what he was capable of. "I didn't come to this pointless meeting to listen to you two argue with one another. So stop wasting my time."

"Pointless? It's not her current ability that requires our attention but her potential for growth however right now it is unstable due in some part to its immensity. From what I gathered was that if we simply left her alone she would simply destroy herself or even better become our pawn." Ulquiorra's one eye fixated itself on the figure of Ichigo.

"Say what you will, Ulquiorra but from what we all felt when her reiatsu fluctuated it barely managed to grow higher than your own so what if she does manage to get control of her power. It means one more person that myself or another high ranking Espada will have to deal with which means one less of us to deal with the stronger taichō's unless you think you yourself will be able to handle her." Ichigo knew that Ulquiorra was underestimating the girl and that if she was left alone to get her power under control she might pose some kind of threat to most of the Espada.

"If she does become a threat like you say, I will kill her myself." Ulquiorra responded which brought a smile from Ichigo.

"Apart from what your brothers may say, I'm impressed with your work Ulquiorra." Aizen spoke for the first time since the meeting had begun, ignoring the glare from Grimmjow.

"I am very grateful, Aizen-sama." Ulquiorra bowed before Aizen, both missing the angry look from Grimmjow once again.

"That shall be all for this meeting. You are all free to go apart from Starrk and Ichigo since I have a request for them." Ichigo and Starrk looked at one another to see if either of them knew anything about what Aizen wanted but the curious looks on both of their faces told them they didn't.

"See you both later." Nelliel called out nodding at both Ichigo and Starrk who returned the motion before she jumped to the ground followed closely by her two Fracción. Ichigo enjoyed talking with Nel and they often got together along with Starrk and Harribel to discuss numerous things. Harribel followed Nel's goodbye as she simply nodded at the two and jumped down to join Nelliel while her three Fracción and Zemi followed them from the room.

"Starrk, Ichigo I have a request for the two of you." Aizen began as the two Arrancar jumped down to stand in front of Aizen, Gin and Tōsen. "I have come across some information that could assist us in the upcoming battle. I have come across the location of a Vasto Lorde class Hollow which as you both know are extremely rare to find considering the very few we have knowledge on are all here in Las Noches." Aizen's smile never faltered as he began to explain his request.

"Let me guess, you want us two to convince it to join us." Ichigo knew how rare Vasto Lorde level Hollows were and in all the time he spent as one himself he had only known of a few other than Barragan and Harribel and they all tended to stay clear from one another since they all claimed their own territory in Hueco Mundo.

"That is correct and as for the reason I am asking you two and not sending Gin or Kaname is that I believe they would be more open to joining us if a Hollow visited them rather than a Shinigami." Aizen responded.

"I have no complaints." Ichigo knew that the chances of a Vasto Lorde joining them peacefully was very slim which meant that he might actually get to fight a decent opponent other than Starrk.

"Me neither." Starrk simply replied which widened the smile of Aizen and Gin.

-OO-

A good few hours later Ichigo and Starrk found themselves a fair distance from Las Noches after accepting the mission Aizen had offered them. They had been travelling using Sonīdo and it had taken them a lot longer than they fought to arrive at their target location.

"I have never been to this part of Hueco Mundo" Starrk said as the two Arrancar took in their surroundings.

"I never even knew this place existed." Ichigo replied as he knelt down beside Starrk to get a better view of things. They both stood on a large cliff that overlooked a series of canyons that were lined with sharp, jagged rocks that and Ichigo noticed that numerous cave entrances lined the walls that no doubt were entrances to an intricate maze. The canyons themselves stretched for as far as the eye could see and they both knew it was going to be a difficult task finding the Vasto Lorde.

"We haven't seen any signs of Hollows of any class since we got close to here which means we either scared them away with our reiatsu or…"

"Something else already did." Ichigo finished for Starrk who hummed in response. Even when he was a Vasto Lorde, Hollows of all class still went about their usual business near to his home and it would only be if Ichigo raised his reiatsu in any way that they would flee however this was different. The only sound that could be heard was the wailing wind that blew around them and it felt to Ichigo that life of any kind had never existed in this place.

"You think Aizen lied to us about their being a Vasto Lorde here? I can't feel anything at all." Starrk stopped his Pesquisa and glanced at Ichigo who stood up straight.

"Perhaps but standing here won't help us." Ichigo responded before he both he and Starrk disappeared from the cliff and onto the flat ground below. The canyon floor was even more barren then what it looked from up on the cliff with no plants or trees growing anywhere and the only thing in sight was sharp rock. The ground crunched under their feet as they began to walk down the seemingly never ending canyon, hoping to catch any signs of life and after an hour of walking they eventually began to feel something.

"This is growing tiresome. I guess these cliffs are made of sekkiseki stone after all which is why we can't feel its reiatsu." Ichigo grew frustrated at being watched from the many caves as both he and Starrk stopped in the middle of the large canyon.

"I agree, I guess we'll need to force it out." Starrk lazily stood with both hands in his pockets as he his eyes examined the many cave entrances.

"There'll be no need for that, I am right here." Ichigo and Starrk turned around towards the direction of the male voice and their eyes fell upon the Vasto Lorde for the first time. He stood at around seven foot with long flowing black hair that blew crazily in the wind and only his black eyes were visible since the rest of his pale white face was covered with a white armour like substance similar to Harribel's clothing. The armour continued its way down his body and covered both his normal legs however the most interesting and deadly part were its hands or rather its lack of hands. In place of its hands were two large and sharp looking black scythes.

"You eventually decide to show yourself, we were beginning to grow bored." Ichigo responded as he stood similar to Starrk with his hand resting in his pockets.

"I can assure you it was not my intention to make you bored but I was rather curious as to what two powerful Arrancar such as yourselves were doing here." The Vasto Lorde replied in a cold voice which Ichigo felt was similar to Ulquiorra's.

"My name is Kurosaki Ichigo and this is Coyote Starrk," Ichigo introduced himself and Starrk and he didn't miss the narrowed eyes form the Vasto Lorde.

"I had heard whispers through the wind regarding what was happening in Hueco Mundo. A Shinigami recruiting powerful hollows to fight for him and I take it you two are part of his army am I correct?" The Vasto Lorde cut off Ichigo before he could continue which angered him slightly.

"That is correct and as for the reason we are here, it is our goal to convince you to join us." Ichigo answered.

"I am not pathetic enough to bow before a Shinigami no matter what he could offer me. I would rather die before joining you." The Vasto Lorde grew angry at hearing they were there to recruit him.

"Then I guess you know what it means if you refuse to join us." Ichigo coldly responded and his eyes narrowed as the Vasto Lorde laughed in response.

"You are mistaken if you think it is I that will die here. For being as powerful as you are, you haven't seemed to grasp the situation." Ichigo's and Starrk's eyes widened as the sound of Sonīdo echoed throughout the canyon and the two Arrancar suddenly found themselves surrounded by three more Vasto Lorde.

"And here I thought this was going to be easy." Starrk sighed which brought a smile from Ichigo.

"Having four Vasto Lorde hollows in all of Hueco Mundo at one time is rare but to find five in the same place working together is something I've never heard of." Ichigo responded with a smile as he began to look forward to the prospect of fighting this many tough opponents.

"You shall have the honour of hearing the names of those that will slay you. I am Simara." The black haired scythe wielding Vasto Lorde introduced himself.

"My name is Maniso." A distinctly female voice came next as Ichigo glanced at the small Vasto Lorde who had spoken. Ichigo guessed she was only around half his height and was easily the smallest Hollow. She had short spiky purple hair and was similar in appearance to Simara apart from the armoured substance went vertically down her face so only one half of her face was visible and the rest of her body was covered in the same substance and Ichigo began to wonder if they were somehow related to one another. Another difference between the two was that Maniso's hands were normal apart from her fingers looked like small, sharp daggers.

"Veloss" The next male voice was nothing more than a grunt. Veloss was similar in height to Ichigo and Starrk however he had a very muscular build which made him seem twice as big as he was. He had dark coloured skin with no hair while two broken horns stuck out from his forehead and his serious looking face had two white lines under each eye. The upper half of his muscular body was bare while his legs were covered in jet black fur and one of his large arms was in the shape of a large hammer

"I am Minara and I will be your killer." The last Vasto Lorde introduced himself. He had spiky brown hair and his tanned upper body was left bare similar to Veloss while his legs were that of a horse's and were covered in brown coloured hair. What was most interesting to Ichigo was that he was the only one out of the four Vasto Lorde's whose weapon was not a part of their body which was similar to Ichigo who had his sword and Barragan who had an axe since Minara held a long metal spear in his right hand.

Ichigo examined the reiatsu of the four Vasto Lorde's and he realised that they were all on the same level or above as Barragan was when he had been a Vasto Lorde and he realised that the fight might be tougher then he had first thought.

"Now kill them both!" Simara ordered as the four Vasto Lorde's sprang to life.

-OO-

At the same time in Las Noches Nelliel sat meditating outside her palace since she didn't have anything better to do since Ichigo and Starrk were on a mission and Harribel was training her own Fracción. She found it boring without Ichigo and Starrk around since she often enjoyed chatting with the two since they had joined Aizen's ranks so without them there she preferred to meditate by herself.

She thought about how Harribel was currently training her three Fracción and using her Pesquisa she could sense the reiatsu off the four females as they sparred with one another and she began to wonder if maybe she should begin training Pesche and Dondochakka. At first she didn't see any point in training the two since she didn't plan on making them fight however after chatting with Ichigo he had explained to her that she might not always be in a position where she was around the her two Fracción when they were forced to fight.

She knew that Ichigo was right and that she wouldn't always be around to protect her Fracción however she didn't know if she had it in herself to hurt her Fracción since she wasn't a fan of fighting when it wasn't necessary. Nelliel had been too engrossed in her own thoughts to sense someone appear in the immediate vicinity and it wasn't till she heard their voice that she realised someone was there.

"What do you want Nnoitra?" Nelliel coldly asked as she felt Nnoitra stand behind her.

"What do you think, Nelliel? I came here to fight you!" Nnoitra shouted as the chain that wrapped around his waist rattled in the wind.

"How many times have I said, I have no interest in fighting animals like you." Nelliel responded.

"You stupid bitch, your just too scared to fight me and you don't have your precious Primera to save you now." Nnoitra retorted, growing increasingly angry at Nelliel.

"I do not need Ichigo protect me from you. You're not worthy of mine or his time so I suggest you leave." Nelliel coldly responded once again, hoping Nnoitra would just leave.

"Well at least your precious Fracción found me worthy of their time!" Nnoitra laughed as Nelliel tensed and suddenly began to wonder if Nnoitra had really fought her Fracción.

"If you've laid one finger on either of them I will kill you, Nnoitra." Nelliel's whole demeanour suddenly changed at hearing Nnoitra mention her Fracción and she quickly rose to her feet.

"Hahahaha! That's what I want to hear, I enjoyed killing those two Fracción of yours!" Nelliel's eyes widened at hearing Nnoitra and she suddenly began to sense for the reiatsu of her two Fracción in the place where she knew they were however she grabbed the hilt of her Zanpakutō as she found no trace of their Reiatsu and it had completely disappeared.

"You bastard!" Nelliel cried out as she lunged at Nnoitra whose grin widened as he suddenly disappeared and a large pink cloud of smoke exploded in his place surprising Nelliel as she suddenly realised she had been tricked. She felt Nnoitra appear behind her however she found herself unable to react as she realised the pink smoke had somehow slowed her movement and the large Zanpakutō of Nnoitra collided with her mask, splitting it in two as blood sprayed the ground below her and she fell to the ground in a pool of blood.

-OO-

The battle between Ichigo, Starrk and the four Vasto Lorde's had been raging for a short while and Ichigo and Starrk had barely broken a sweat and had already taken down Maniso and Veloss as they had been the first two to charge in. They had both severely underestimated Starrk and Ichigo who easily dispatched the two while Simara and Minara had watched on before entering the fight themselves. When Simara and Minara had joined the fight the two Arrancar had been actually been forced to begin to take it seriously as the two Vasto Lorde's managed to land a few cuts onto them.

Ichigo and Starrk expertly weaved between one another as they deflected blow after blow and sent their own towards the two remaining Vasto Lorde's who were being severely outclassed by the two Arrancar. Ichigo felt that fighting together with another person came natural to him and his mind began to wonder if he maybe he had fought alongside another person when he was a Shinigami.

"I thought that you would maybe give us a challenge but you're pathetic. I don't even feel like you dragging you back to Las Noches." Ichigo kicked Simara back and Minara landed next to him after being knocked back by Starrk and he could tell that the Vasto Lorde's were feeling the strain. "I should have just stayed at Las Noches and trained with Zemi."

"Shut up you bastard!" Simara and Minara let out a large cry as they both charged towards the two Arrancar.

"I guess I'll end it." Ichigo calmly spoke as Starrk sheathed his Zanpakutō at seeing Ichigo cut his finger and point it towards the two incoming Vasto Lorde. A huge cero began to charge it the end of his finger and Starrk watched as the two Vasto Lorde's realised what was going to happen and they were too late to get out of the way, "Gran Rey Cero!" The black cero exploded to life and screeched past the two Vasto Lorde's who were both engulfed and the cero sped past them destroying most of the canyon behind the Simara and Minara.

"I guess we'll have some explaining to do once we get back." Starrk spoke as the smoke and dust from the huge cero disappeared and he noticed that the canyon was now twice as big as it was before.

"We came all this way for that. Next time Aizen can do it himself." Ichigo groaned in frustration which brought a smile from Starrk. "I guess it's time we head back" Ichigo finished, receiving a nod from Starrk.

-OO-

It had taken them a few hours to return to Las Noches and when they did they were immediately called into a meeting by Aizen. They both entered the large Espada meeting room and Ichigo's eyes immediately glanced at the empty seat where Nelliel usually sat.

"Where is Nelliel? Is she not joining us?" Ichigo asked before Aizen could open his mouth as he realised that he couldn't feel her reiatsu in Las Noches. He looked at Harribel who had an unreadable expression on her face as she stared at the table in front of her.

"I'm afraid Nelliel will not be joining us. It would seem that she along with her Fracción are dead." Aizen along with everyone else in the room found themselves being crushed as not only Ichigo but the usually calm Starrk let their reiatsu out in anger as the lower ranked Arrancar suddenly found it difficult to breath. Aizen quickly raised his own reiatsu to protect himself from the outburst however the others in the room were finding it difficult to counter both Ichigo's and Starrk's reiatsu.

"I suggest you explain yourself." Ichigo tone left no room for argument even from Aizen as he let up on his reiatsu along with Starrk and they both took their seats.

"Her reiatsu suddenly disappeared from Las Noches and in fact I am unable to sense it anywhere in Hueco Mundo which either means she has left Hueco Mundo but since I also couldn't sense her in the Human realm and I haven't registered any Garganta's being opened the more likely option is that she along with her Fracción are dead." Ichigo could tell that even Aizen seemed a little angry but that was because he had just lost a powerful member of the Espada while Starrk still had a furious look on his face as he sat opposite Ichigo. Ichigo didn't know what to think as he sat in silence after hearing she was dead and a number of emotions ran through him before he caught the glimpse of a grin out the corner of his eye.

"You have one second to wipe that smile from your face Nnoitra before I remove your head. If I find out that you or anyone else had a hand in her death then I will give you the worst death you can imagine." Ichigo's cold voice and increasing reiatsu immediately wiped the smile from Nnoitra's face. Ichigo couldn't help but feel Nnoitra had something to do it with it but he knew that Nnoitra wouldn't have been able to kill Nelliel in a fair fight which meant that someone must have helped him. He couldn't simply kill Nnoitra without finding out who it was that helped him.

"I will look at refilling the ranks of the Espada in the near future however for now we have something else I want to discuss. Ichigo, Starrk how was your mission?" Aizen changed the subject before he lost another member of the Espada.

"It was a waste of time. We killed them all without even trying." Ichigo responded as his mind still hung on the death of his friend.

"Them?" Aizen simply responded, waiting for Ichigo to elaborate.

"It turned out there were four Vasto Lorde class Hollows however none of them were able to survive our onslaught so we deemed that they weren't worthy of joining us." Starrk decided to respond this time as he calmed down from hearing the news and he realised that Ichigo's mind still hadn't recovered.

"Then I will trust your judgement on this then, perhaps next time I will send a lower ranked member to give them a fair chance." Aizen responded, not wanting to anger Ichigo or Starrk in their current mood. "Perhaps it's time this meeting comes to a close, I will inform you all of who I decided to enter the ranks of the Espada." Aizen finished as everyone rose from their seat and left the room.

It didn't take long for Ichigo to reach his palace and on his he began to wonder if Zemi had heard the news and how she would react. She had arguably been closer to Nelliel then he had since he knew that Zemi often went to talk to her when he was busy and they had become close friends. Entering the main room he saw Zemi sitting on the balcony and he quickly made his way over to her and she turned around to greet Ichigo. He could tell that she hadn't heard anything yet however he noticed her expression that her expression changed to worry as they made eye contact.

"Is something wrong, Ichi?" Zemi asked in a worried tone at seeing Ichigo's saddened expression.

"Yeah, I believe Nelliel and her Fracción are dead." Ichigo responded in a quite tone, receiving a gasp from Zemi who seemed like she had frozen in shock.

"I…it can't b…be." Zemi managed to get out before she suddenly broke down and tears began to stream down her pale face. A stream of anger and sadness ripped through Ichigo at seeing Zemi this upset as she burst into tears at hearing her close friend had died before she latched herself onto Ichigo. If Zemi had of done this any other time Ichigo would have pulled her off but he was still coming to terms with it himself and seeing Zemi upset as she was saddened him even more and he simply let her cry into his jacket while he stroked her hair.

-OO-

A few days later Ichigo found himself stood on the desert floor of Las Noches as he easily deflected the strike sent his way with his bare hand before ducking under the swing of a Zanpakutō which if he had of been any slower might have done some serious damage as his opponent jumped away from him.

"Damn it! No matter how stronger I get you still easily overpower me without even drawing your Zanpakutō." Zemi shouted as she stood opposite Ichigo who lazily stood with his hands in his pockets.

"You do realise that I have grown even stronger myself since we've been here and you still haven't released your Zanpakutō." Ichigo began, "We have been training a while now and just because you can't match me doesn't mean you haven't improved. I can tell that even without your Resurrección you could cause some trouble to the lower ranked Espada, of course that is until they release their Zanpakutō and then you would be overpowered." Ichigo finished while Zemi flashed a little smile at hearing the praise.

"So you think I could go against a taichō then?" Zemi replied, hoping he would say yes.

"Like I already told you, I wouldn't recommend fighting a taichō level opponent but if you do come across one then you should use your Resurrección. Against a fukutaichō level or below Shinigami you should be able to handle them without it unless you feel the need to use it." Ichigo smiled at Zemi who smiled back.

After hearing news of Nelliel's death, Zemi had cried for hours and after she was done Ichigo spent the next few hours desperately searching near Las Noches for any sign of Nelliel however he couldn't find anything since he couldn't sense anything from her. Looking at Zemi he was pleased that she had recovered from Nelliel's death and took to her training with even more enthusiasm than before.

"Kurosaki-sama, Aizen requests your presence immediately." A short female Arrancar with short spiky blond hair appeared beside Ichigo and Zemi along with another girl who had black hair in the form of two pigtails and they both bowed before Ichigo who let out a sigh at seeing Aizen's messenger girls.

"I guess I should see what he wants, we'll continue later Zemi. Go and find Harribel's Fracción to keep you entertained for the time being." Ichigo received a small smile and a wave from Zemi in response before he used Sonīdo to head to Aizen.

A few minutes later Ichigo was stood before Aizen who was sat in his usual throne in the large meeting room. "Is there something you need, Aizen?" Ichigo asked as he wondered why he had been summoned.

"It would seem Grimmjow has disobeyed my direct orders which were to not enter the Human realm without my permission. It would seem he is intent on killing the substitute Shinigami." Aizen responded in his usual manner.

"So let him kill her, it'll save the rest of us the trouble of doing it ourselves." Ichigo responded, curious as to why Aizen cared about the Human girl so much.

"That is not my concern, him directly disobeying me is. I want you to head to the Human world and bring Grimmjow back to me." Aizen replied.

"And why can't Tōsen or Gin do it? Last time I you told me to leave Las Noches we lost a member of the Espada." Ichigo was growing sick of having to do jobs that any member of the Espada could do.

"I feel that Grimmjow would only listen if you or I would go and last time I checked you were still part of my army and working under me." Aizen began to grow frustrated at the constant questions from Ichigo.

"So be it, I'll bring him back here." Ichigo wasn't in the mood to argue with Aizen as a Garganta opened at the tip of his out stretched finger and he stepped through.

**For all those fans of Nel don't worry about not seeing her again since she will obviously return later on in the story and I will also continue talking about how Ichigo and the others felt about her so called death. **

**Next chapter will take place when Grimmjow enters the human world and what will happen when Ichigo turns up and what Shinigami will be present.**


End file.
